national laboratory x-ray: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for national laboratory x-ray

Services of the CDRH X-ray calibration laboratory and their traceability to National Standards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerra, F.; Heaton, H.T.

The X-ray Calibration Laboratory (XCL) of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) provides calibration services for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The instruments calibrated are used by FDA and contract state inspectors to verify compliance with federal x-ray performance standards and for national surveys of x-ray trends. In order to provide traceability of measurements, the CDRH XCL is accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for reference, diagnostic, and x-ray survey instrument calibrations. In addition to these accredited services, the CDRH XCL also calibrates non-invasive kVp meters in single- and three-phase x-ray beams, and thermoluminescentmore » dosimeter (TLD) chips used to measure CT beam profiles. The poster illustrates these services and shows the traceability links back to the National Standards.« less
16th National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chakoumakos, Bryan; Achilles, Cherie; Cybulskis, Viktor

Students talk about their experience at the 16th National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering, or NXS 2014. Jointly conducted by Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories, NXS immerses graduate students in national user facilities to learn in a hands-on environment how to use neutrons and X-rays in their research.
16th National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering

ScienceCinema

Chakoumakos, Bryan; Achilles, Cherie; Cybulskis, Viktor; Gilbert, Ian

2018-02-14

Students talk about their experience at the 16th National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering, or NXS 2014. Jointly conducted by Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories, NXS immerses graduate students in national user facilities to learn in a hands-on environment how to use neutrons and X-rays in their research.
Laboratory Data for X-Ray Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Chen, H.; Gu, M.-F.; Kahn, S. M.; Lepson, J. K.; Savin, D. W.; Utter, S. B.

2000-01-01

Laboratory facilities have made great strides in producing large sets of reliable data for X-ray astronomy, which include ionization and recombination cross sections needed for charge balance calculations as well as the atomic data needed for interpreting X-ray line formation. We discuss data from the new generation sources and pay special attention to the LLNL electron beam ion trap experiment, which is unique in its ability to provide direct laboratory access to spectral data under precisely controlled conditions that simulate those found in many astrophysical plasmas. Examples of spectral data obtained in the 1-160 A wavelength range are given illustrating the type of laboratory X-ray data produced in support of such missions as Chandra, X-Ray Multi-Mirror telescope (XMM), Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA) and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite (EUVE).
42 CFR 440.30 - Other laboratory and X-ray services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Other laboratory and X-ray services. 440.30 Section 440.30 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... and X-ray services. Other laboratory and X-ray services means professional and technical laboratory...
42 CFR 440.30 - Other laboratory and X-ray services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Other laboratory and X-ray services. 440.30 Section 440.30 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... and X-ray services. Other laboratory and X-ray services means professional and technical laboratory...
42 CFR 440.30 - Other laboratory and X-ray services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Other laboratory and X-ray services. 440.30 Section 440.30 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... and X-ray services. Other laboratory and X-ray services means professional and technical laboratory...
42 CFR 440.30 - Other laboratory and X-ray services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Other laboratory and X-ray services. 440.30 Section 440.30 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... and X-ray services. Other laboratory and X-ray services means professional and technical laboratory...
42 CFR 440.30 - Other laboratory and X-ray services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Other laboratory and X-ray services. 440.30 Section 440.30 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... and X-ray services. Other laboratory and X-ray services means professional and technical laboratory...
X-Ray Data Booklet

Science.gov Websites

X-RAY DATA BOOKLET Center for X-ray Optics and Advanced Light Source Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Introduction X-Ray Properties of Elements Electron Binding Energies X-Ray Energy Emission Energies Table of X-Ray Properties Synchrotron Radiation Characteristics of Synchrotron Radiation History of X
Laboratory for X-Ray Optics

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-29

Kearney, "El uso de las pelfculas delgadas en la optica de rayos - x ," Proc. Symposium on the Physics of Superlattices, May 1991, in press. 6. J.M...Bolling Air Force Base ELEMENT NO. NO. NO ACCESSION NO Washin ton, D.C. 20332- //( ~ ~ C 11. TITLE (Incluft Security Claw ffation) [ TLaboratory for X ...three years under contract AFOSR-90-O 140, "Laboratory for X -Ray O.ptics. Duig thspro we concenrae our effrt in two areas: 1) grwth of epitaxial
2011 U.S. National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lang, Jonathan; te Vethuis, Suzanne; Ekkebus, Allen E

The 13th annual U.S. National School on Neutron and X-ray Scattering was held June 11 to 25, 2011, at both Oak Ridge and Argonne National Laboratories. This school brought together 65 early career graduate students from 56 different universities in the US and provided them with a broad introduction to the techniques available at the major large-scale neutron and synchrotron x-ray facilities. This school is focused primarily on techniques relevant to the physical sciences, but also touches on cross-disciplinary bio-related scattering measurements. During the school, students received lectures by over 30 researchers from academia, industry, and national laboratories and participatedmore » in a number of short demonstration experiments at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source (APS) and Oak Ridge's Spallation neutron Source (SNS) and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) facilities to get hands-on experience in using neutron and synchrotron sources. The first week of this year's school was held at Oak Ridge National Lab, where Lab director Thom Mason welcomed the students and provided a shitorical perspective of the neutron and x-ray facilities both at Oak Ridge and Argonne. The first few days of the school were dedicated to lectures laying out the basics of scattering theory and the differences and complementarity between the neutron and x-ray probes given by Sunil Sinha. Jack Carpenter provided an introduction into how neutrons are generated and detected. After this basic introduction, the students received lectures each morning on specific techniques and conducted demonstration experiments each afternoon on one of 15 different instruments at either the SNS or HFIR. Some of the topics covered during this week of the school included inelastic neutron scattering by Bruce Gaulin, x-ray and neutron reflectivity by Chuck Majkrazak, small-angle scattering by Volker Urban, powder diffraction by Ashfia Huq and diffuse scattering by Gene Ice.« less
X-ray intensity and source size characterizations for the 25 kV upgraded Manson source at Sandia National Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loisel, G.; Lake, P.; Gard, P.; Dunham, G.; Nielsen-Weber, L.; Wu, M.; Norris, E.

2016-11-01

At Sandia National Laboratories, the x-ray generator Manson source model 5 was upgraded from 10 to 25 kV. The purpose of the upgrade is to drive higher characteristics photon energies with higher throughput. In this work we present characterization studies for the source size and the x-ray intensity when varying the source voltage for a series of K-, L-, and M-shell lines emitted from Al, Y, and Au elements composing the anode. We used a 2-pinhole camera to measure the source size and an energy dispersive detector to monitor the spectral content and intensity of the x-ray source. As the voltage increases, the source size is significantly reduced and line intensity is increased for the three materials. We can take advantage of the smaller source size and higher source throughput to effectively calibrate the suite of Z Pulsed Power Facility crystal spectrometers.
X-ray intensity and source size characterizations for the 25 kV upgraded Manson source at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loisel, G., E-mail: gploise@sandia.gov; Lake, P.; Gard, P.

2016-11-15

At Sandia National Laboratories, the x-ray generator Manson source model 5 was upgraded from 10 to 25 kV. The purpose of the upgrade is to drive higher characteristics photon energies with higher throughput. In this work we present characterization studies for the source size and the x-ray intensity when varying the source voltage for a series of K-, L-, and M-shell lines emitted from Al, Y, and Au elements composing the anode. We used a 2-pinhole camera to measure the source size and an energy dispersive detector to monitor the spectral content and intensity of the x-ray source. As themore » voltage increases, the source size is significantly reduced and line intensity is increased for the three materials. We can take advantage of the smaller source size and higher source throughput to effectively calibrate the suite of Z Pulsed Power Facility crystal spectrometers.« less
Simulation and Laboratory results of the Hard X-ray Polarimeter: X-Calibur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qingzhen; Beilicke, M.; Kislat, F.; Krawczynski, H.

2014-01-01

X-ray polarimetry promises to give qualitatively new information about high-energy sources, such as binary black hole (BH) systems, Microquasars, active galactic nuclei (AGN), GRBs, etc. We designed, built and tested a hard X-ray polarimeter 'X-Calibur' to be flown in the focal plane of the InFOCuS grazing incidence hard X-ray telescope in 2014. X-Calibur combines a low-Z Compton scatterer with a CZT detector assembly to measure the polarization of 20- 80 keV X-rays making use of the fact that polarized photons Compton scatter preferentially perpendicular to the E field orientation. X-Calibur achieves a high detection efficiency of order unity. We optimized of the design of the instrument based on Monte Carlo simulations of polarized and unpolarized X-ray beams and of the most important background components. We have calibrated and tested X-Calibur extensively in the laboratory at Washington University and at the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). Measurements using the highly polarized synchrotron beam at CHESS confirm the polarization sensitivity of the instrument. In this talk we report on the optimization of the design of the instrument based on Monte Carlo simulations, as well as results of laboratory calibration measurements characterizing the performance of the instrument.
X-ray Heating and Electron Temperature of Laboratory Photoionized Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancini, Roberto; Lockard, Tom; Mayes, Daniel C.; Loisel, Guillaume; Bailey, James E.; Rochau, Gregory; Abdallah, J.; Golovkin, I.

2018-06-01

In separate experiments performed at the Z facility of Sandia National Laboratories two different samples were employed to produce and characterize photoionized plasmas. One was a gas cell filled with neon, and the other was a thin silicon layer coated with plastic. Both samples were driven by the broadband x-ray flux produced at the collapse of a wire array z-pinch implosion. Transmission spectroscopy of a narrowband portion of the x-ray flux was used to diagnose the charge state distribution, and the electron temperature was extracted from a Li-like ion level population ratio. To interpret the temperature measurement, we performed Boltzmann kinetics and radiation-hydrodynamic simulations. We found that non-equilibrium atomic physics and the coupling of the radiation flux to the atomic level population kinetics play a critical role in modeling the x-ray heating of photoionized plasmas. In spite of being driven by similar x-ray drives, differences of ionization and charged state distributions in the neon and silicon plasmas are reflected in the plasma heating and observed electron temperatures.This work was sponsored in part by DOE Office of Science Grant DE-SC0014451, and the Z Facility Fundamental Science Program of SNL.
Spectroscopy of X-ray Photoionized Plasmas in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liedahl, Duane A.; Loisel, Guillaume; Bailey, James E.; Nagayama, Taisuke; Hansen, Stephanie B.; Rochau, Gregory; Fontes, Christopher J.; Mancini, Roberto; Kallman, Timothy R.

2018-06-01

The physical processes operating in astrophysical plasmas --- heating, cooling, ionization, recombination, level population kinetics, and radiation transport --- are all accessible to observation in the laboratory. What distinguishes X-ray photoionized plasmas from the more common case of high-temperature collisionally-ionized plasmas is the elevated level of importance of the radiation/matter interaction. The advent of laboratory facilities with the capability to generate high-powered X-ray sources has provided the means by which to study this interaction, which is also fundamental to active galactic nuclei and other accretion-powered objects. We discuss recent and ongoing experiments, with an emphasis on X-ray spectroscopic measurements of silicon plasmas obtained at the Sandia Z Pulsed Power Facility.
Development of a High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, L.; Kraus, B.; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Efthimion, P.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, J.; Liedahl, D.; Macphee, A. G.; Le, H. P.; Thorn, D.; Nelson, D.

2017-10-01

A high-resolution x-ray spectrometer has been designed, calibrated, and deployed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure plasma parameters for a Kr-doped surrogate capsule imploded at NIF conditions. Two conical crystals, each diffracting the He α and He β complexes respectively, focus the spectra onto a steak camera photocathode for time-resolved measurements with a temporal resolution of <20 ps. A third cylindrical crystal focuses the entire He α to He β spectrum onto an image plate for a time-integrated spectrum to correlate the two streaked signals. The instrument was absolutely calibrated by the x-ray group at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory using a micro-focus x-ray source. Detailed calibration procedures, including source and spectrum alignment, energy calibration, crystal performance evaluation, and measurement of the resolving power and the integrated reflectivity will be presented. Initial NIF experimental results will also be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
13.1 micrometers hard X-ray focusing by a new type monocapillary X-ray optic designed for common laboratory X-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xuepeng; zhang, Xiaoyun; Zhu, Yu; Wang, Yabing; Shang, Hongzhong; Zhang, Fengshou; Liu, Zhiguo; Sun, Tianxi

2018-04-01

A new type of monocapillary X-ray optic, called 'two bounces monocapillary X-ray optics' (TBMXO), is proposed for generating a small focal spot with high power-density gain for micro X-ray analysis, using a common laboratory X-ray source. TBMXO is consists of two parts: an ellipsoidal part and a tapered part. Before experimental testing, the TBMXO was simulated by the ray tracing method in MATLAB. The simulated results predicted that the proposed TBMXO would produce a smaller focal spot with higher power-density gain than the ellipsoidal monocapillary X-ray optic (EMXO). In the experiment, the TBMXO performance was tested by both an optical device and a Cu target X-ray tube with focal spot of 100 μm. The results indicated that the TBMXO had a slope error of 57.6 μrad and a 13.1 μm focal spot and a 1360 gain in power density were obtained.
A new streaked soft x-ray imager for the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Benstead, J.; Moore, A. S.; Ahmed, M. F.; ...

2016-05-27

Here, a new streaked soft x-ray imager has been designed for use on high energy-density (HED) physics experiments at the National Ignition Facility based at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This streaked imager uses a slit aperture, single shallow angle reflection from a nickel mirror, and soft x-ray filtering to, when coupled to one of the NIF’s x-ray streak cameras, record a 4× magnification, one-dimensional image of an x-ray source with a spatial resolution of less than 90 μm. The energy band pass produced depends upon the filter material used; for the first qualification shots, vanadium and silver-on-titanium filters weremore » used to gate on photon energy ranges of approximately 300–510 eV and 200–400 eV, respectively. A two-channel version of the snout is available for x-ray sources up to 1 mm and a single-channel is available for larger sources up to 3 mm. Both the one and two-channel variants have been qualified on quartz wire and HED physics target shots.« less

X-Ray Spectroscopic Laboratory Experiments In Support of the NASA X-Ray Astronomy Flight Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, Steven M.; Savin, D. W.; Gu, M. F.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Liedahl, D. A.; Brown, G.; Utter, S.

1998-01-01

During the 1997 performance period, our work focused on the L-shell X-ray emission from highly charged iron ions in the 10-18 A region. Details of our accomplishments in 1997 are presented in the following. We start by describing the laboratory measurements made and their impact on the X-ray flight program and conclude by an overview of new instrumental capabilities developed for uses in the coming year.
Producing X-rays at the APS

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

An introduction and overview of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, the technology that produces the brightest X-ray beams in the Western Hemisphere, and the research carried out by scientists using those X-rays.
X-Ray Spectroscopic Laboratory Experiments in Support of the X-Ray Astronomy Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, Steven M.

1997-01-01

Our program is to perform a series of laboratory investigations designed to resolved significant atomic physics uncertainties that limit the interpretation of cosmic X-ray spectra. Specific goals include a quantitative characterization of Fe L-shell spectra; the development of new techniques to simulate Maxwellian plasmas using an Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT); and the measurement of dielectronic recombination rates for photoionized gas. New atomic calculations have also been carried out in parallel with the laboratory investigations.
High-resolution x-ray tomography using laboratory sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tkachuk, Andrei; Feser, Michael; Cui, Hongtao; Duewer, Fred; Chang, Hauyee; Yun, Wenbing

2006-08-01

X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is a powerful nondestructive 3D imaging technique, which enables the visualization of the three dimensional structure of complex, optically opaque samples. High resolution XCT using Fresnel zone plate lenses has been confined in the past to synchrotron radiation centers due to the need for a bright and intense source of x-rays. This confinement severely limits the availability and accessibility of x-ray microscopes and the wide proliferation of this methodology. We are describing a sub-50nm resolution XCT system operating at 8 keV in absorption and Zernike phase contrast mode based on a commercially available laboratory x-ray source. The system utilizes high-efficiency Fresnel zone plates with an outermost zone width of 35 nm and 700 nm structure height resulting in a current spatial resolution better than 50 nm. In addition to the technical description of the system and specifications, we present application examples in the semiconductor field.
Omega Dante Soft X-Ray Power Diagnostic Component Calibration at the National Synchrotron Light Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, K; Weber, F; Dewald, E

2004-04-15

The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer installed on the Omega laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester is a twelve-channel filter-edge defined x-ray power diagnostic. It is used to measure the absolute flux from direct drive, indirect drive (hohlraums) and other plasma sources. Calibration efforts using two beam lines, U3C (50eV-1keV) and X8A (1keV-6keV) at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) have been implemented to insure the accuracy of these measurements. We have calibrated vacuum x-ray diodes, mirrors and filters.
X-ray/VUV transmission gratings for astrophysical and laboratory applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schattenburg, M. L.; Anderson, E. H.; Smith, Henry I.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the techniques used to fabricate deep-submicron-period transmission gratings for astrophysical and laboratory applications, with special attention given to the major steps involved in the transmission grating fabrication. These include the holographic lithography procedure used to pattern the master transmission grating, the fabrication of X-ray mask, the X-ray lithography step used to transfer the X-ray mask pattern into a substrate, and the electroplating of the substrate to form the final grating pattern. The various ways in which transmission gratings can be used in X-ray and VUV spectroscopy are discussed together with some examples of experiments reported in the literature.
X-ray Production in a Laboratory Streamer Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehtinen, N. G.; Kochkin, P.; Ostgaard, N.

2016-12-01

A 1D model of a 1-m scale laboratory discharge streamer system [Lehtinen et al, 2016, http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2016/EGU2016-6180.pdf] has reproduced the experimentally-observed [Kochkin et al, 2014, doi:10.1088/0022-3727/47/14/145203] detached streamer systems (pilots). The pilots grow in both directions and thus produce counter-streamers which collide with forward-moving streamers, a mechanism which was proposed to lead to the production of x-rays [Cooray, 2009, doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2009.07.010]. However, the 1D model is insufficient to analyse this process because in this model the electric field between the colliding streamers is averaged in the transverse direction and therefore the maximum fields are underestimated. In this presentation, we include the microscopic processes in the modeling of streamer propagation in order to calculate accurately the electric field enhancement between colliding streamers of opposite polarity. We evaluate the temporal and spatial characteristics of the enhanced electric field, which define the production of relativistic runaway electrons and x-rays. The x-ray output for the conditions occuring in a laboratory discharge is compared to the experimental data [Kochkin et al, 2012, doi:10.1088/0022-3727/45/42/425202; 2015, doi:10.1088/0022-3727/48/2/025205]. We note that the previous modeling of streamer collisions [Ihaddadene and Celestin, 2015, doi:10.1002/2015GL064623] obtained the field enhancements which are insufficient for the observed x-ray production.
New developments of X-ray fluorescence imaging techniques in laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuji, Kouichi; Matsuno, Tsuyoshi; Takimoto, Yuki; Yamanashi, Masaki; Kometani, Noritsugu; Sasaki, Yuji C.; Hasegawa, Takeshi; Kato, Shuichi; Yamada, Takashi; Shoji, Takashi; Kawahara, Naoki

2015-11-01

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is a well-established analytical technique with a long research history. Many applications have been reported in various fields, such as in the environmental, archeological, biological, and forensic sciences as well as in industry. This is because XRF has a unique advantage of being a nondestructive analytical tool with good precision for quantitative analysis. Recent advances in XRF analysis have been realized by the development of new x-ray optics and x-ray detectors. Advanced x-ray focusing optics enables the making of a micro x-ray beam, leading to micro-XRF analysis and XRF imaging. A confocal micro-XRF technique has been applied for the visualization of elemental distributions inside the samples. This technique was applied for liquid samples and for monitoring chemical reactions such as the metal corrosion of steel samples in the NaCl solutions. In addition, a principal component analysis was applied for reducing the background intensity in XRF spectra obtained during XRF mapping, leading to improved spatial resolution of confocal micro-XRF images. In parallel, the authors have proposed a wavelength dispersive XRF (WD-XRF) imaging spectrometer for a fast elemental imaging. A new two dimensional x-ray detector, the Pilatus detector was applied for WD-XRF imaging. Fast XRF imaging in 1 s or even less was demonstrated for Euro coins and industrial samples. In this review paper, these recent advances in laboratory-based XRF imaging, especially in a laboratory setting, will be introduced.
Omega Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic component calibration at the National Synchrotron Light Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, K.M.; Weber, F.A.; Dewald, E.L.

2004-10-01

The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer, installed on the Omega laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, is a 12-channel filter-edge defined soft x-ray power diagnostic. It is used to measure the spectrally resolved, absolute flux from direct drive, indirect drive (hohlraums) and other plasma sources. Dante component calibration efforts using two beam lines, U3C (50 eV-1 keV) and X8A (1-6 keV) at the National Synchrotron Light Source have been implemented to improve the accuracy of these measurements. We have calibrated metallic vacuum x-ray diodes, mirrors and filters.
Phased Contrast X-Ray Imaging

ScienceCinema

Miller, Erin

2018-02-07

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a range of technologies to broaden the field of explosives detection. Phased contrast X-ray imaging, which uses silicon gratings to detect distortions in the X-ray wave front, may be applicable to mail or luggage scanning for explosives; it can also be used in detecting other contraband, small-parts inspection, or materials characterization.
Observation of X-rays from long laboratory negative discharge in STP air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochkin, Pavlo; van Deursen, A. P. J.; Ebert, Ute

2014-05-01

Pulses of x-rays emitted by lightning are one of the most intriguing among unsolved problem in physics of lightning. They have been detected from both - natural and rocket-triggered lightning. In natural lightning x-rays were detected during stepped leader process and later were associated with a single step. In triggered lighting x-rays were found to be originated from a tip of a dart leader that also possesses stepping propagation mechanism. Therefore, stepping mechanism is the key to understanding the x-ray pulses generated by lightning. Unfortunately, leader stepping mechanism itself is far from well understood. Negative long laboratory discharges also develop through a formation of a space stem/leader and they also generate bursts of x-ray radiation. In this study we investigate the development of a long negative laboratory spark in particular focusing on its x-ray emission. A 2 MV Marx generator delivers high-voltage standard lightning pulse with 1.2/50 microsec rise/fall time to a spark gap with conical electrodes. The distance between cone tips was varied between 1 m and 1.75 m. An upper voltage limit is set to about 1 MV level. The voltage is measured by capacitive high-voltage divider. Two Pearson 7427 current probes determine the currents through high-voltage and grounded electrodes. Two LaBr3 scintillator detectors were mounted in EMC-cabinets and recorded the x-rays. Picos4 Stanford Optics camera with intensified CCD is placed in 4 m distance from the spark gap and directed perpendicular to the spark plane. The camera allows us to make ns-fast images of pre-breakdown phenomena in controllable time. We discovered new details of space stem/leader formation and development in long laboratory sparks. The connection moment of positive part of the space stem/leader to negative high-voltage is accompanied by intense x-ray emission. Taking into account our previous study on positive discharge, we conclude that encounter between positive and negative streamers
Laboratory simulation of charge exchange-produced X-ray emission from comets.

PubMed

Beiersdorfer, P; Boyce, K R; Brown, G V; Chen, H; Kahn, S M; Kelley, R L; May, M; Olson, R E; Porter, F S; Stahle, C K; Tillotson, W A

2003-06-06

In laboratory experiments using the engineering spare microcalorimeter detector from the ASTRO-E satellite mission, we recorded the x-ray emission of highly charged ions of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, which simulates charge exchange reactions between heavy ions in the solar wind and neutral gases in cometary comae. The spectra are complex and do not readily match predictions. We developed a charge exchange emission model that successfully reproduces the soft x-ray spectrum of comet Linear C/1999 S4, observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Picosecond x-ray diagnostics for third and fourth generation synchrotron sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeCamp, Matthew

2016-03-30

In the DOE-EPSCoR State/National Laboratory partnership grant ``Picosecond x-ray diagnostics for third and fourth generation synchrotron sources'' Dr. DeCamp set forth a partnership between the University of Delaware and Argonne National Laboratory. This proposal aimed to design and implement a series of experiments utilizing, or improving upon, existing time-domain hard x-ray spectroscopies at a third generation synchrotron source. Specifically, the PI put forth three experimental projects to be explored in the grant cycle: 1) implementing a picosecond ``x-ray Bragg switch'' using a laser excited nano-structured metallic film, 2) designing a robust x-ray optical delay stage for x-ray pump-probe studies atmore » a hard x-ray synchrotron source, and 3) building/installing a laser based x-ray source at the Advanced Photon Source for two-color x-ray pump-probe studies.« less
Powder X-ray diffraction laboratory, Reston, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piatak, Nadine M.; Dulong, Frank T.; Jackson, John C.; Folger, Helen W.

2014-01-01

The powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) laboratory is managed jointly by the Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources and Eastern Energy Resources Science Centers. Laboratory scientists collaborate on a wide variety of research problems involving other U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science centers and government agencies, universities, and industry. Capabilities include identification and quantification of crystalline and amorphous phases, and crystallographic and atomic structure analysis for a wide variety of sample media. Customized laboratory procedures and analyses commonly are used to characterize non-routine samples including, but not limited to, organic and inorganic components in petroleum source rocks, ore and mine waste, clay minerals, and glassy phases. Procedures can be adapted to meet a variety of research objectives.
Optimizing soft X-ray NEXAFS spectroscopy in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantouvalou, I.; Jonas, A.; Witte, K.; Jung, R.; Stiel, H.; Kanngießer, B.

2017-05-01

Near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in the soft X-ray range is feasible in the laboratory using laser-produced plasma sources. We present a study using seven different target materials for optimized data analysis. The emission spectra of the materials with atomic numbers ranging from Z = 6 to Z = 79 show distinct differences, rendering the adapted selection of a suitable target material for specialized experiments feasible. For NEXAFS spectroscopy a 112.5 nm thick polyimide film is investigated as a reference exemplifying the superiority of quasi-continuum like emission spectra.
X-Ray Diffraction of Intermetallic Compounds: A Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varberg, Thomas D.; Skakuj, Kacper

2015-01-01

Here we describe an experiment for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory in which students synthesize the intermetallic compounds AlNi and AlNi3 and study them by X-ray diffractometry. The compounds are synthesized in a simple one-step reaction occurring in the solid state. Powder X-ray diffractograms are recorded for the two compounds…
Laboratory-based micro-X-ray fluorescence setup using a von Hamos crystal spectrometer and a focused beam X-ray tube

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kayser, Y., E-mail: yves.kayser@psi.ch; Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen-PSI; Błachucki, W.

2014-04-15

The high-resolution von Hamos bent crystal spectrometer of the University of Fribourg was upgraded with a focused X-ray beam source with the aim of performing micro-sized X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements in the laboratory. The focused X-ray beam source integrates a collimating optics mounted on a low-power micro-spot X-ray tube and a focusing polycapillary half-lens placed in front of the sample. The performances of the setup were probed in terms of spatial and energy resolution. In particular, the fluorescence intensity and energy resolution of the von Hamos spectrometer equipped with the novel micro-focused X-ray source and a standard high-power water-cooled X-raymore » tube were compared. The XRF analysis capability of the new setup was assessed by measuring the dopant distribution within the core of Er-doped SiO{sub 2} optical fibers.« less
Laboratory-Produced X-Ray Photoionized Plasmas for Astrophysics Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyon, Clement; Le Pape, Sebastien; Liedahl, Duane; Ma, Tammy; Berzak-Hopkins, Laura; Reverdin, Charles; Rousseaux, Christophe; Renaudin, Patrick; Blancard, Christophe; Nottet, Edouard; Bidault, Niels; Mancini, Roberto; Koenig, Michel

2015-11-01

X-ray photoionized plasmas are rare in the laboratory, but of broad importance in astrophysical objects such as active galactic nuclei, x-ray binaries. Indeed, existing models are not yet able to accurately describe these plasmas where ionization is driven by radiation rather than electron collisions. Here, we describe an experiment on the LULI2000 facility whose versatility allows for measuring the X-ray absorption of the plasma while independently probing its electron density and temperature. The bright X-ray source is created by the two main beams focused inside a gold hohlraum and is used to photoionise a Neon gas jet. Then, a thin gold foil serves as a source of backlit photons for absorption spectroscopy. The transmitted spectrum through the plasma is collected by a crystal spectrometer. We will present the experimental setup used to characterize both plasma conditions and X-ray emission. Then we will show the transmitted spectra through the plasma to observe the transition from collision dominated to radiation dominated ionization and compare it to model predictions. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S.Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Dilation x-ray imager a new∕faster gated x-ray imager for the NIF.

PubMed

Nagel, S R; Hilsabeck, T J; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Ayers, M J; Barrios, M A; Felker, B; Smith, R F; Collins, G W; Jones, O S; Kilkenny, J D; Chung, T; Piston, K; Raman, K S; Sammuli, B; Hares, J D; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A K L

2012-10-01

As the yield on implosion shots increases it is expected that the peak x-ray emission reduces to a duration with a FWHM as short as 20 ps for ∼7 × 10(18) neutron yield. However, the temporal resolution of currently used gated x-ray imagers on the NIF is 40-100 ps. We discuss the benefits of the higher temporal resolution for the NIF and present performance measurements for dilation x-ray imager, which utilizes pulse-dilation technology [T. J. Hilsabeck et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 10E317 (2010)] to achieve x-ray imaging with temporal gate times below 10 ps. The measurements were conducted using the COMET laser, which is part of the Jupiter Laser Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
A laboratory system for element specific hyperspectral X-ray imaging.

PubMed

Jacques, Simon D M; Egan, Christopher K; Wilson, Matthew D; Veale, Matthew C; Seller, Paul; Cernik, Robert J

2013-02-21

X-ray tomography is a ubiquitous tool used, for example, in medical diagnosis, explosives detection or to check structural integrity of complex engineered components. Conventional tomographic images are formed by measuring many transmitted X-rays and later mathematically reconstructing the object, however the structural and chemical information carried by scattered X-rays of different wavelengths is not utilised in any way. We show how a very simple; laboratory-based; high energy X-ray system can capture these scattered X-rays to deliver 3D images with structural or chemical information in each voxel. This type of imaging can be used to separate and identify chemical species in bulk objects with no special sample preparation. We demonstrate the capability of hyperspectral imaging by examining an electronic device where we can clearly distinguish the atomic composition of the circuit board components in both fluorescence and transmission geometries. We are not only able to obtain attenuation contrast but also to image chemical variations in the object, potentially opening up a very wide range of applications from security to medical diagnostics.

Portable total reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis in the identification of unknown laboratory hazards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Ying, E-mail: liu.ying.48r@st.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Imashuku, Susumu; Sasaki, Nobuharu

In this study, a portable total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer was used to analyze unknown laboratory hazards that precipitated on exterior surfaces of cooling pipes and fume hood pipes in chemical laboratories. With the aim to examine the accuracy of TXRF analysis for the determination of elemental composition, analytical results were compared with those of wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, x-ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Detailed comparison of data confirmed that the TXRF method itself was not sufficient tomore » determine all the elements (Z > 11) contained in the samples. In addition, results suggest that XRD should be combined with XPS in order to accurately determine compound composition. This study demonstrates that at least two analytical methods should be used in order to analyze the composition of unknown real samples.« less
Laboratory-size three-dimensional x-ray microscope with Wolter type I mirror optics and an electron-impact water window x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohsuka, Shinji; Ohba, Akira; Onoda, Shinobu; Nakamoto, Katsuhiro; Nakano, Tomoyasu; Miyoshi, Motosuke; Soda, Keita; Hamakubo, Takao

2014-09-01

We constructed a laboratory-size three-dimensional water window x-ray microscope that combines wide-field transmission x-ray microscopy with tomographic reconstruction techniques, and observed bio-medical samples to evaluate its applicability to life science research fields. It consists of a condenser and an objective grazing incidence Wolter type I mirror, an electron-impact type oxygen Kα x-ray source, and a back-illuminated CCD for x-ray imaging. A spatial resolution limit of around 1.0 line pairs per micrometer was obtained for two-dimensional transmission images, and 1-μm scale three-dimensional fine structures were resolved.
Laboratory-size three-dimensional x-ray microscope with Wolter type I mirror optics and an electron-impact water window x-ray source.

PubMed

Ohsuka, Shinji; Ohba, Akira; Onoda, Shinobu; Nakamoto, Katsuhiro; Nakano, Tomoyasu; Miyoshi, Motosuke; Soda, Keita; Hamakubo, Takao

2014-09-01

We constructed a laboratory-size three-dimensional water window x-ray microscope that combines wide-field transmission x-ray microscopy with tomographic reconstruction techniques, and observed bio-medical samples to evaluate its applicability to life science research fields. It consists of a condenser and an objective grazing incidence Wolter type I mirror, an electron-impact type oxygen Kα x-ray source, and a back-illuminated CCD for x-ray imaging. A spatial resolution limit of around 1.0 line pairs per micrometer was obtained for two-dimensional transmission images, and 1-μm scale three-dimensional fine structures were resolved.
Quantitative Measurements of X-ray Intensity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haugh, M. J., Schneider, M.

This chapter describes the characterization of several X-ray sources and their use in calibrating different types of X-ray cameras at National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec). The cameras are employed in experimental plasma studies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), including the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The sources provide X-rays in the energy range from several hundred eV to 110 keV. The key to this effort is measuring the X-ray beam intensity accurately and traceable to international standards. This is accomplished using photodiodes of several types that are calibrated using radioactive sources and a synchrotron source using methods and materials thatmore » are traceable to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The accreditation procedures are described. The chapter begins with an introduction to the fundamental concepts of X-ray physics. The types of X-ray sources that are used for device calibration are described. The next section describes the photodiode types that are used for measuring X-ray intensity: power measuring photodiodes, energy dispersive photodiodes, and cameras comprising photodiodes as pixel elements. Following their description, the methods used to calibrate the primary detectors, the power measuring photodiodes and the energy dispersive photodiodes, as well as the method used to get traceability to international standards are described. The X-ray source beams can then be measured using the primary detectors. The final section then describes the use of the calibrated X-ray beams to calibrate X-ray cameras. Many of the references are web sites that provide databases, explanations of the data and how it was generated, and data calculations for specific cases. Several general reference books related to the major topics are included. Papers expanding some subjects are cited.« less
Characterization of SiGe thin films using a laboratory X-ray instrument.

PubMed

Ulyanenkova, Tatjana; Myronov, Maksym; Benediktovitch, Andrei; Mikhalychev, Alexander; Halpin, John; Ulyanenkov, Alex

2013-08-01

The technique of reciprocal space mapping using X-rays is a recognized tool for the nondestructive characterization of epitaxial films. X-ray scattering from epitaxial Si 0.4 Ge 0.6 films on Si(100) substrates using a laboratory X-ray source was investigated. It is shown that a laboratory source with a rotating anode makes it possible to investigate the material parameters of the super-thin 2-6 nm layers. For another set of partially relaxed layers, 50-200 nm thick, it is shown that from a high-resolution reciprocal space map, conditioned from diffuse scattering on dislocations, it is possible to determine quantitatively from the shape of a diffraction peak (possessing no thickness fringes) additional parameters such as misfit dislocation density and layer thickness as well as concentration and relaxation.
Computational Studies of X-ray Framing Cameras for the National Ignition Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

Livermore National Laboratory 7000 East Avenue Livermore, CA 94550 USA Abstract The NIF is the world’s most powerful laser facility and is...a phosphor screen where the output is recorded. The x-ray framing cameras have provided excellent information. As the yields at NIF have increased...experiments on the NIF . The basic operation of these cameras is shown in Fig. 1. Incident photons generate photoelectrons both in the pores of the MCP and
Development of CCD Cameras for Soft X-ray Imaging at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teruya, A. T.; Palmer, N. E.; Schneider, M. B.

2013-09-01

The Static X-Ray Imager (SXI) is a National Ignition Facility (NIF) diagnostic that uses a CCD camera to record time-integrated X-ray images of target features such as the laser entrance hole of hohlraums. SXI has two dedicated positioners on the NIF target chamber for viewing the target from above and below, and the X-ray energies of interest are 870 eV for the “soft” channel and 3 – 5 keV for the “hard” channels. The original cameras utilize a large format back-illuminated 2048 x 2048 CCD sensor with 24 micron pixels. Since the original sensor is no longer available, an effortmore » was recently undertaken to build replacement cameras with suitable new sensors. Three of the new cameras use a commercially available front-illuminated CCD of similar size to the original, which has adequate sensitivity for the hard X-ray channels but not for the soft. For sensitivity below 1 keV, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had additional CCDs back-thinned and converted to back-illumination for use in the other two new cameras. In this paper we describe the characteristics of the new cameras and present performance data (quantum efficiency, flat field, and dynamic range) for the front- and back-illuminated cameras, with comparisons to the original cameras.« less
Tenth International Colloquium on UV and X-Ray Spectroscopy of Astrophysical and Laboratory Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silver, Eric H.; Kahn, Steven M.

UV and X-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas draws interest from many disciplines. Contributions from international specialists are collected together in this book from a timely recent conference. In astrophysics, the Hubble Space Telescope, Astro 1 and ROSAT observatories are now providing UV and X-ray spectra and images of cosmic sources in unprecedented detail, while the Yohkoh mission recently collected superb data on the solar corona. In the laboratory, the development of ion-trap facilities and novel laser experiments are providing vital new data on high temperature plasmas. Recent innovations in the technology of spectroscopic instrumentation are discussed. These papers constitute an excellent up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. These proceedings give an up-to-date review of developments in short-wavelength spectroscopy and offer a solid introduction to its theoretical and experimental foundations. Various speakers presented some of the first results from the high resolution spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, the high sensitivity far ultraviolet and X-ray spectrometers of the ASTRO 1 Observatory, the imaging X-ray spectrometer on the ROSAT Observatory, and the high resolution solar X-ray spectrometer on Yohkoh. The development of ion trap devices had brought about a revolution in laboratory investigations of atomic processes in highly charged atoms. X-ray laser experiments had not only yielded considerable insight into electron ion interactions in hot dense plasmas, but also demonstrated the versatility of laser plasmas as laboratory X-ray sources. Such measurements also motivated and led to refinements in the development of large-scale atomic and molecular codes. On the instrumental side, the design and development of the next series of very powerful short wavelength observatories had generated a large number of
Characterization of SiGe thin films using a laboratory X-ray instrument

PubMed Central

Ulyanenkova, Tatjana; Myronov, Maksym; Benediktovitch, Andrei; Mikhalychev, Alexander; Halpin, John; Ulyanenkov, Alex

2013-01-01

The technique of reciprocal space mapping using X-rays is a recognized tool for the nondestructive characterization of epitaxial films. X-ray scattering from epitaxial Si0.4Ge0.6 films on Si(100) substrates using a laboratory X-ray source was investigated. It is shown that a laboratory source with a rotating anode makes it possible to investigate the material parameters of the super-thin 2–6 nm layers. For another set of partially relaxed layers, 50–200 nm thick, it is shown that from a high-resolution reciprocal space map, conditioned from diffuse scattering on dislocations, it is possible to determine quantitatively from the shape of a diffraction peak (possessing no thickness fringes) additional parameters such as misfit dislocation density and layer thickness as well as concentration and relaxation. PMID:24046495
Demonstration of the feasibility of an integrated x ray laboratory for planetary exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franco, E. D.; Kerner, J. A.; Koppel, L. N.; Boyle, M. J.

1993-01-01

The identification of minerals and elemental compositions is an important component in the geological and exobiological exploration of the solar system. X ray diffraction and fluorescence are common techniques for obtaining these data. The feasibility of combining these analytical techniques in an integrated x ray laboratory compatible with the volume, mass, and power constraints imposed by many planetary missions was demonstrated. Breadboard level hardware was developed to cover the range of diffraction lines produced by minerals, clays, and amorphous; and to detect the x ray fluorescence emissions of elements from carbon through uranium. These breadboard modules were fabricated and used to demonstrate the ability to detect elements and minerals. Additional effort is required to establish the detection limits of the breadboard modules and to integrate diffraction and fluorescence techniques into a single unit. It was concluded that this integrated x ray laboratory capability will be a valuable tool in the geological and exobiological exploration of the solar system.
Skull x-ray

MedlinePlus

X-ray - head; X-ray - skull; Skull radiography; Head x-ray ... Chernecky CC, Berger BJ. Radiography of skull, chest, and cervical spine - diagnostic. In: Chernecky CC, Berger BJ, eds. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures . 6th ed. ...
X-ray Spectral Formation In High-mass X-ray Binaries: The Case Of Vela X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyama, Shizuka; Mauche, C. W.; Liedahl, D. A.; Plewa, T.

2007-05-01

We are working to develop improved models of radiatively-driven mass flows in the presence of an X-ray source -- such as in X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and active galactic nuclei -- in order to infer the physical properties that determine the X-ray spectra of such systems. The models integrate a three-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamics capability (FLASH); a comprehensive and uniform set of atomic data, improved calculations of the line force multiplier that account for X-ray photoionization and non-LTE population kinetics, and X-ray emission-line models appropriate to X-ray photoionized plasmas (HULLAC); and a Monte Carlo radiation transport code that simulates Compton scattering and recombination cascades following photoionization. As a test bed, we have simulated a high-mass X-ray binary with parameters appropriate to Vela X-1. While the orbital and stellar parameters of this system are well constrained, the physics of X-ray spectral formation is less well understood because the canonical analytical wind velocity profile of OB stars does not account for the dynamical and radiative feedback effects due to the rotation of the system and to the irradiation of the stellar wind by X-rays from the neutron star. We discuss the dynamical wind structure of Vela X-1 as determined by the FLASH simulation, where in the binary the X-ray emission features originate, and how the spatial and spectral properties of the X-ray emission features are modified by Compton scattering, photoabsorption, and fluorescent emission. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48.
Statistical data of X-ray emission from laboratory sparks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochkin, P.; Deursen, D. V.

2011-12-01

In this study we present a summary of the data of 1331 long laboratory sparks in atmospheric pressure intended for a statistical analysis. A 2 MV, 17kJ Marx generator were used to generate 1.2/52μs shape pulses positive and negative polarity. The generator was connected to a spark gap with cone-shaped electrodes. The distance between high-voltage and grounded electrodes was 1.08 meters. Breakdown voltage between electrodes was about 1MV. X-rays have been detected during the development of the discharge channel. The currents through the grounded electrode and through the high-voltage electrode were recorded separately and simultaneously with the voltage and the X-ray signal. X-rays were registered by two LaBr3(Ce+) scintillation detectors in different positions with respect to the forming discharge channel. Detector D1 was placed immediately under the grounded electrode at 15cm distance. Detector D2 was placed at horizontal distances of 143cm and 210cm, at mid-gap height. We also used lead shields of 1.5, 3, and 4 mm thickness for radiation attenuation measurements. For detector collimation we used shields up to 2 cm thickness. Also no metallic objects with pointed surfaces were present within 2 m from the spark gap. Typical plot of positive discharge presented in Figure 1a. Table 1 shows the summary of the X-ray registrations. Signal detection occurred significantly more for positive polarity discharges than for negative. This dependence was observed for both detectors. For detector D2 the probability of X-ray registration decreased proportional to 1/d2 with increasing the distance d to the breakdown gap from 1m43 to 2m10. Detailed energy spectra and time distribution of X-ray emission were obtained; see for example Fig. 1b. For both polarities of the high voltage, the X-rays only occurred when there was a current at the cathode.
A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

DOE PAGES

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.; ...

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, suchmore » as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy
A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, suchmore » as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy
A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doriese, W. B.; Abbamonte, P.; Alpert, B. K.; Bennett, D. A.; Denison, E. V.; Fang, Y.; Fischer, D. A.; Fitzgerald, C. P.; Fowler, J. W.; Gard, J. D.; Hays-Wehle, J. P.; Hilton, G. C.; Jaye, C.; McChesney, J. L.; Miaja-Avila, L.; Morgan, K. M.; Joe, Y. I.; O'Neil, G. C.; Reintsema, C. D.; Rodolakis, F.; Schmidt, D. R.; Tatsuno, H.; Uhlig, J.; Vale, L. R.; Ullom, J. N.; Swetz, D. S.

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, such as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved scattering
A practical superconducting-microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer for beamline and laboratory science.

PubMed

Doriese, W B; Abbamonte, P; Alpert, B K; Bennett, D A; Denison, E V; Fang, Y; Fischer, D A; Fitzgerald, C P; Fowler, J W; Gard, J D; Hays-Wehle, J P; Hilton, G C; Jaye, C; McChesney, J L; Miaja-Avila, L; Morgan, K M; Joe, Y I; O'Neil, G C; Reintsema, C D; Rodolakis, F; Schmidt, D R; Tatsuno, H; Uhlig, J; Vale, L R; Ullom, J N; Swetz, D S

2017-05-01

We describe a series of microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers designed for a broad suite of measurement applications. The chief advantage of this type of spectrometer is that it can be orders of magnitude more efficient at collecting X-rays than more traditional high-resolution spectrometers that rely on wavelength-dispersive techniques. This advantage is most useful in applications that are traditionally photon-starved and/or involve radiation-sensitive samples. Each energy-dispersive spectrometer is built around an array of several hundred transition-edge sensors (TESs). TESs are superconducting thin films that are biased into their superconducting-to-normal-metal transitions. The spectrometers share a common readout architecture and many design elements, such as a compact, 65 mK detector package, 8-column time-division-multiplexed superconducting quantum-interference device readout, and a liquid-cryogen-free cryogenic system that is a two-stage adiabatic-demagnetization refrigerator backed by a pulse-tube cryocooler. We have adapted this flexible architecture to mate to a variety of sample chambers and measurement systems that encompass a range of observing geometries. There are two different types of TES pixels employed. The first, designed for X-ray energies below 10 keV, has a best demonstrated energy resolution of 2.1 eV (full-width-at-half-maximum or FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The second, designed for X-ray energies below 2 keV, has a best demonstrated resolution of 1.0 eV (FWHM) at 500 eV. Our team has now deployed seven of these X-ray spectrometers to a variety of light sources, accelerator facilities, and laboratory-scale experiments; these seven spectrometers have already performed measurements related to their applications. Another five of these spectrometers will come online in the near future. We have applied our TES spectrometers to the following measurement applications: synchrotron-based absorption and emission spectroscopy and energy-resolved scattering
Generation of High Brightness X-rays with the PLEIADES Thomson X-ray Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, W J; Anderson, S G; Barty, C P J

2003-05-28

The use of short laser pulses to generate high peak intensity, ultra-short x-ray pulses enables exciting new experimental capabilities, such as femtosecond pump-probe experiments used to temporally resolve material structural dynamics on atomic time scales. PLEIADES (Picosecond Laser Electron InterAction for Dynamic Evaluation of Structures) is a next generation Thomson scattering x-ray source being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Ultra-fast picosecond x-rays (10-200 keV) are generated by colliding an energetic electron beam (20-100 MeV) with a high intensity, sub-ps, 800 nm laser pulse. The peak brightness of the source is expected to exceed 10{sup 20} photons/s/0.1% bandwidth/mm2/mrad2. Simulationsmore » of the electron beam production, transport, and final focus are presented. Electron beam measurements, including emittance and final focus spot size are also presented and compared to simulation results. Measurements of x-ray production are also reported and compared to theoretical calculations.« less
Laboratory-size three-dimensional water-window x-ray microscope with Wolter type I mirror optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohsuka, Shinji; The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu-City, 431-1202; Ohba, Akira

2016-01-28

We constructed a laboratory-size three-dimensional water-window x-ray microscope that combines wide-field transmission x-ray microscopy with tomographic reconstruction techniques. It consists of an electron-impact x-ray source emitting oxygen Kα x-rays, Wolter type I grazing incidence mirror optics, and a back-illuminated CCD for x-ray imaging. A spatial resolution limit better than 1.0 line pairs per micrometer was obtained for two-dimensional transmission images, and 1-μm-scale three-dimensional fine structures were resolved.
X-ray microtomography of porous media at BNL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dowd, B.

This session is comprised of pertinent information about the historical aspects, current status of research, technical achievements, and future plans in X-ray computed microtomography at Brookhaven National Laboratories. An explanation with specifications and diagrams of X-ray instrumentation is provided. Several high resolution 3-D color images of reservoir rock drill cores and other materials are included.

3D chemical imaging in the laboratory by hyperspectral X-ray computed tomography

PubMed Central

Egan, C. K.; Jacques, S. D. M.; Wilson, M. D.; Veale, M. C.; Seller, P.; Beale, A. M.; Pattrick, R. A. D.; Withers, P. J.; Cernik, R. J.

2015-01-01

We report the development of laboratory based hyperspectral X-ray computed tomography which allows the internal elemental chemistry of an object to be reconstructed and visualised in three dimensions. The method employs a spectroscopic X-ray imaging detector with sufficient energy resolution to distinguish individual elemental absorption edges. Elemental distributions can then be made by K-edge subtraction, or alternatively by voxel-wise spectral fitting to give relative atomic concentrations. We demonstrate its application to two material systems: studying the distribution of catalyst material on porous substrates for industrial scale chemical processing; and mapping of minerals and inclusion phases inside a mineralised ore sample. The method makes use of a standard laboratory X-ray source with measurement times similar to that required for conventional computed tomography. PMID:26514938
MOXE: An X-ray all-sky monitor for Soviet Spectrum-X-Gamma Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Priedhorsky, W.; Fenimore, E. E.; Moss, C. E.; Kelley, R. L.; Holt, S. S.

1989-01-01

A Monitoring Monitoring X-Ray Equipment (MOXE) is being developed for the Soviet Spectrum-X-Gamma Mission. MOXE is an X-ray all-sky monitor based on array of pinhole cameras, to be provided via a collaboration between Goddard Space Flight Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The objectives are to alert other observers on Spectrum-X-Gamma and other platforms of interesting transient activity, and to synoptically monitor the X-ray sky and study long-term changes in X-ray binaries. MOXE will be sensitive to sources as faint as 2 milliCrab (5 sigma) in 1 day, and cover the 2 to 20 KeV band.
Sub-25-nm laboratory x-ray microscopy using a compound Fresnel zone plate.

PubMed

von Hofsten, Olov; Bertilson, Michael; Reinspach, Julia; Holmberg, Anders; Hertz, Hans M; Vogt, Ulrich

2009-09-01

Improving the resolution in x-ray microscopes is of high priority to enable future applications in nanoscience. However, high-resolution zone-plate optics often have low efficiency, which makes implementation in laboratory microscopes difficult. We present a laboratory x-ray microscope based on a compound zone plate. The compound zone plate utilizes multiple diffraction orders to achieve high resolution while maintaining reasonable efficiency. We analyze the illumination conditions necessary for this type of optics in order to suppress stray light and demonstrate microscopic imaging resolving 25 nm features.
3D nanoscale imaging of biological samples with laboratory-based soft X-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehlinger, Aurélie; Blechschmidt, Anne; Grötzsch, Daniel; Jung, Robert; Kanngießer, Birgit; Seim, Christian; Stiel, Holger

2015-09-01

In microscopy, where the theoretical resolution limit depends on the wavelength of the probing light, radiation in the soft X-ray regime can be used to analyze samples that cannot be resolved with visible light microscopes. In the case of soft X-ray microscopy in the water-window, the energy range of the radiation lies between the absorption edges of carbon (at 284 eV, 4.36 nm) and oxygen (543 eV, 2.34 nm). As a result, carbon-based structures, such as biological samples, posses a strong absorption, whereas e.g. water is more transparent to this radiation. Microscopy in the water-window, therefore, allows the structural investigation of aqueous samples with resolutions of a few tens of nanometers and a penetration depth of up to 10μm. The development of highly brilliant laser-produced plasma-sources has enabled the transfer of Xray microscopy, that was formerly bound to synchrotron sources, to the laboratory, which opens the access of this method to a broader scientific community. The Laboratory Transmission X-ray Microscope at the Berlin Laboratory for innovative X-ray technologies (BLiX) runs with a laser produced nitrogen plasma that emits radiation in the soft X-ray regime. The mentioned high penetration depth can be exploited to analyze biological samples in their natural state and with several projection angles. The obtained tomogram is the key to a more precise and global analysis of samples originating from various fields of life science.
X ray imaging microscope for cancer research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B.; Shealy, David L.; Brinkley, B. R.; Baker, Phillip C.; Barbee, Troy W., Jr.; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.

1991-01-01

The NASA technology employed during the Stanford MSFC LLNL Rocket X Ray Spectroheliograph flight established that doubly reflecting, normal incidence multilayer optics can be designed, fabricated, and used for high resolution x ray imaging of the Sun. Technology developed as part of the MSFC X Ray Microscope program, showed that high quality, high resolution multilayer x ray imaging microscopes are feasible. Using technology developed at Stanford University and at the DOE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Troy W. Barbee, Jr. has fabricated multilayer coatings with near theoretical reflectivities and perfect bandpass matching for a new rocket borne solar observatory, the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA). Advanced Flow Polishing has provided multilayer mirror substrates with sub-angstrom (rms) smoothnesss for the astronomical x ray telescopes and x ray microscopes. The combination of these important technological advancements has paved the way for the development of a Water Window Imaging X Ray Microscope for cancer research.
Popular Berkeley Lab X-ray Data Booklet reissued

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, Art

2001-03-02

X-ray scientists and synchrotron-radiation users who have been patiently waiting for an updated version of the popular X-Ray Data Booklet last published in 1986 by the Center for X-Ray Optics at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory can breathe a sigh of relief. The venerable ''little orange book'' has now been reissued under the auspices of CXRO and the Advanced Light Source (ALS) with an April printing of 10,000 paper copies and the posting of a Web edition at http://xdb.lbl.gov.
Performance of the PRAXyS X-Ray Polarimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iwakiri, W. B.; Black, J. K.; Cole, R.; Enoto, T.; Hayato, A.; Hill, J. E.; Jahoda, Keith M.; Kaaret, P.; Kitaguchi, T.; Kubota, M.

2016-01-01

The performance of the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) polarimeter for the Polarimeter for Relativistic Astrophysical X-ray Sources (PRAXyS) Small Explorer was evaluated using polarized and unpolarized X-ray sources. The PRAXyS mission will enable exploration of the universe through X-ray polarimetry in the 2-10 keV energy band. We carried out performance tests of the polarimeter at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, National Synchrotron Light Source (BNL-NSLS) and at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The polarimeter was tested with linearly polarized, monochromatic X-rays at 11 different energies between 2.5 and 8.0 keV. At maximum sensitivity, the measured modulation factors at 2.7, 4.5 and 8.0 keV are 27%, 43% and 59%, respectively and the measured angle of polarization is consistent with the expected value at all energies. Measurements with a broadband, unpolarized X-ray source placed a limit of less than 1% on false polarization in the PRAXyS polarimeter.
Performance of the PRAXyS X-ray polarimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwakiri, W. B.; Black, J. K.; Cole, R.; Enoto, T.; Hayato, A.; Hill, J. E.; Jahoda, K.; Kaaret, P.; Kitaguchi, T.; Kubota, M.; Marlowe, H.; McCurdy, R.; Takeuchi, Y.; Tamagawa, T.

2016-12-01

The performance of the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) polarimeter for the Polarimeter for Relativistic Astrophysical X-ray Sources (PRAXyS) Small Explorer was evaluated using polarized and unpolarized X-ray sources. The PRAXyS mission will enable exploration of the universe through X-ray polarimetry in the 2-10 keV energy band. We carried out performance tests of the polarimeter at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, National Synchrotron Light Source (BNL-NSLS) and at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The polarimeter was tested with linearly polarized, monochromatic X-rays at 11 different energies between 2.5 and 8.0 keV. At maximum sensitivity, the measured modulation factors at 2.7, 4.5 and 8.0 keV are 27%, 43% and 59%, respectively and the measured angle of polarization is consistent with the expected value at all energies. Measurements with a broadband, unpolarized X-ray source placed a limit of less than 1% on false polarization in the PRAXyS polarimeter.
Ultrafast X-Ray Coherent Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reis, David

2009-05-01

This main purpose of this grant was to develop the nascent eld of ultrafast x-ray science using accelerator-based sources, and originally developed from an idea that a laser could modulate the di racting properties of a x-ray di racting crystal on a fast enough time scale to switch out in time a shorter slice from the already short x-ray pulses from a synchrotron. The research was carried out primarily at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) sector 7 at Argonne National Laboratory and the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source (SPPS) at SLAC; in anticipation of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray freemore » electron laser that became operational in 2009 at SLAC (all National User Facilities operated by BES). The research centered on the generation, control and measurement of atomic-scale dynamics in atomic, molecular optical and condensed matter systems with temporal and spatial resolution . It helped develop the ultrafast physics, techniques and scienti c case for using the unprecedented characteristics of the LCLS. The project has been very successful with results have been disseminated widely and in top journals, have been well cited in the eld, and have laid the foundation for many experiments being performed on the LCLS, the world's rst hard x-ray free electron laser.« less
Demonstration of Laser Plasma X-Ray Source with X-Ray Collimator Final Report CRADA No. TC-1564-99

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lane, S. M.; Forber, R. A.

2017-09-28

This collaborative effort between the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and JMAR Research, Inc. (JRI), was to demonstrate that LLNL x-ray collimators can effectively increase the wafer throughput of JRI's laser based x-ray lithography systems. The technical objectives were expected to be achieved by completion of the following tasks, which are separated into two task lists by funding source. The organization (LLNL or JMAR) having primary responsibility is given parenthetically for each task.
A laboratory based system for laue micro x-ray diffraction.

PubMed

Lynch, P A; Stevenson, A W; Liang, D; Parry, D; Wilkins, S; Tamura, N

2007-02-01

A laboratory diffraction system capable of illuminating individual grains in a polycrystalline matrix is described. Using a microfocus x-ray source equipped with a tungsten anode and prefigured monocapillary optic, a micro-x-ray diffraction system with a 10 microm beam was developed. The beam profile generated by the ellipsoidal capillary was determined using the "knife edge" approach. Measurement of the capillary performance, indicated a beam divergence of 14 mrad and a useable energy bandpass from 5.5 to 19 keV. Utilizing the polychromatic nature of the incident x-ray beam and application of the Laue indexing software package X-Ray Micro-Diffraction Analysis Software, the orientation and deviatoric strain of single grains in a polycrystalline material can be studied. To highlight the system potential the grain orientation and strain distribution of individual grains in a polycrystalline magnesium alloy (Mg 0.2 wt % Nd) was mapped before and after tensile loading. A basal (0002) orientation was identified in the as-rolled annealed alloy; after tensile loading some grains were observed to undergo an orientation change of 30 degrees with respect to (0002). The applied uniaxial load was measured as an increase in the deviatoric tensile strain parallel to the load axis.
Pollen structure visualization using high-resolution laboratory-based hard X-ray tomography.

PubMed

Li, Qiong; Gluch, Jürgen; Krüger, Peter; Gall, Martin; Neinhuis, Christoph; Zschech, Ehrenfried

2016-10-14

A laboratory-based X-ray microscope is used to investigate the 3D structure of unstained whole pollen grains. For the first time, high-resolution laboratory-based hard X-ray microscopy is applied to study pollen grains. Based on the efficient acquisition of statistically relevant information-rich images using Zernike phase contrast, both surface- and internal structures of pine pollen - including exine, intine and cellular structures - are clearly visualized. The specific volumes of these structures are calculated from the tomographic data. The systematic three-dimensional study of pollen grains provides morphological and structural information about taxonomic characters that are essential in palynology. Such studies have a direct impact on disciplines such as forestry, agriculture, horticulture, plant breeding and biodiversity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Long duration X-ray drive hydrodynamics experiments relevant for laboratory astrophysics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casner, A.; Martinez, D.; Smalyuk, V.

The advent of high-power lasers facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) in the near future, opens a new era in the field of High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics. These versatile laser facilities will provide unique platforms to study the rich physics of nonlinear and turbulent mixing flows. The extended laser pulse duration could be harnessed to accelerate targets over much larger distances and longer time periods than previously achieved. Here, we report on the first results acquired on NIF with the ablative Rayleigh–Taylor Instability (RTI) platform. A 20-ns X-ray drive is tailored tomore » accelerate planar modulated samples into the highly-nonlinear bubble merger regime. Based on the analogy between flames front and ablation front, highly nonlinear RTI measurements at ablation front can provide important insights into the initial deflagration stage of thermonuclear supernova of Type Ia. We also report on an innovative concept used to create even longer drive on multi-beam laser facilities. The multi-barrel hohlraum (Gattling Gun) approach consists, here, of three adjacent cavities, driven in succession in time. This novel concept has been validated on the Omega EP laser system. The three cavities were irradiated with three 6–10 ns pulse UV beams and a 30 ns, 90 eV X-ray radiation drive was measured with the time-resolved X-ray spectrometer μDMX. This concept is promising to investigate the pillar structures in the Eagle Nebula or for photoionization studies which require a steady light source of sufficient duration to recreate relevant physics.« less
Long duration X-ray drive hydrodynamics experiments relevant for laboratory astrophysics

DOE PAGES

Casner, A.; Martinez, D.; Smalyuk, V.; ...

2014-09-20

The advent of high-power lasers facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) in the near future, opens a new era in the field of High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics. These versatile laser facilities will provide unique platforms to study the rich physics of nonlinear and turbulent mixing flows. The extended laser pulse duration could be harnessed to accelerate targets over much larger distances and longer time periods than previously achieved. Here, we report on the first results acquired on NIF with the ablative Rayleigh–Taylor Instability (RTI) platform. A 20-ns X-ray drive is tailored tomore » accelerate planar modulated samples into the highly-nonlinear bubble merger regime. Based on the analogy between flames front and ablation front, highly nonlinear RTI measurements at ablation front can provide important insights into the initial deflagration stage of thermonuclear supernova of Type Ia. We also report on an innovative concept used to create even longer drive on multi-beam laser facilities. The multi-barrel hohlraum (Gattling Gun) approach consists, here, of three adjacent cavities, driven in succession in time. This novel concept has been validated on the Omega EP laser system. The three cavities were irradiated with three 6–10 ns pulse UV beams and a 30 ns, 90 eV X-ray radiation drive was measured with the time-resolved X-ray spectrometer μDMX. This concept is promising to investigate the pillar structures in the Eagle Nebula or for photoionization studies which require a steady light source of sufficient duration to recreate relevant physics.« less
A laboratory demonstration of high-resolution hard X-ray and gamma-ray imaging using Fourier-transform techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, David; Prince, Thomas A.

1987-01-01

A laboratory imaging system has been developed to study the use of Fourier-transform techniques in high-resolution hard X-ray and gamma-ray imaging, with particular emphasis on possible applications to high-energy astronomy. Considerations for the design of a Fourier-transform imager and the instrumentation used in the laboratory studies is described. Several analysis methods for image reconstruction are discussed including the CLEAN algorithm and maximum entropy methods. Images obtained using these methods are presented.
X-ray examinations during pregnancy: National Natality Surveys, 1963 and 1980.

PubMed Central

Kaczmarek, R G; Moore, R M; Keppel, K G; Placek, P J

1989-01-01

Based on 1963 and 1980 National Natality Surveys, the rate of medical x-ray examinations during pregnancy per 100 mothers fell 34.2 percent. A decrease in chest x-ray examinations accounted for almost all of the decline in total x-ray examinations. The reductions were greater for older mothers and those who were not White. While the number of births fell from 4,071,000 in 1963 to 3,612,000 in 1980, the number of pelvimetry examinations actually increased by 45,000. PMID:2909188
Six dimensional X-ray Tensor Tomography with a compact laboratory setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Y.; Wieczorek, M.; Schaff, F.; Seyyedi, S.; Prade, F.; Pfeiffer, F.; Lasser, T.

2016-09-01

Attenuation based X-ray micro computed tomography (XCT) provides three-dimensional images with micrometer resolution. However, there is a trade-off between the smallest size of the structures that can be resolved and the measurable sample size. In this letter, we present an imaging method using a compact laboratory setup that reveals information about micrometer-sized structures within samples that are several orders of magnitudes larger. We combine the anisotropic dark-field signal obtained in a grating interferometer and advanced tomographic reconstruction methods to reconstruct a six dimensional scattering tensor at every spatial location in three dimensions. The scattering tensor, thus obtained, encodes information about the orientation of micron-sized structures such as fibres in composite materials or dentinal tubules in human teeth. The sparse acquisition schemes presented in this letter enable the measurement of the full scattering tensor at every spatial location and can be easily incorporated in a practical, commercially feasible laboratory setup using conventional X-ray tubes, thus allowing for widespread industrial applications.
X-ray source development for EXAFS measurements on the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Coppari, F; Thorn, D B; Kemp, G E; Craxton, R S; Garcia, E M; Ping, Y; Eggert, J H; Schneider, M B

2017-08-01

Extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements require a bright, spectrally smooth, and broad-band x-ray source. In a laser facility, such an x-ray source can be generated by a laser-driven capsule implosion. In order to optimize the x-ray emission, different capsule types and laser irradiations have been tested at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A crystal spectrometer is used to disperse the x-rays and high efficiency image plate detectors are used to measure the absorption spectra in transmission geometry. EXAFS measurements at the K-edge of iron at ambient conditions have been obtained for the first time on the NIF laser, and the requirements for optimization have been established.
Final Report on X-ray Yields from OMEGA II Targets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K B; May, M J; MacLaren, S A

2007-06-20

We present details about X-ray yields measured with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) diagnostics in soft and moderately hard X-ray bands from laser-driven, doped-aerogel targets shot on 07/14/06 during the OMEGA II test series. Yields accurate to {+-}25% in the 5-15 keV band are measured with Livermore's HENWAY spectrometer. Yields in the sub-keV to 3.2 keV band are measured with LLNL's DANTE diagnostic, the DANTE yields are accurate to 10-15%. SNL ran a PCD-based diagnostic that also measured X-ray yields in the spectral region above 4 keV, and also down to the sub-keV range. Themore » PCD and HENWAY and DANTE numbers are compared. The time histories of the moderately hard (h{nu} > 4 keV) X-ray signals are measured with LLNL's H11 PCD, and from two SNL PCDs with comparable filtration. There is general agreement between the H11 PCD and SNL PCD measured FWHM except for two of the shorter-laser-pulse shots, which is shown not to be due to analysis techniques. The recommended X-ray waveform is that from the SNL PCD p66k10, which was recorded on a fast, high-bandwidth TDS 6804 oscilloscope. X-ray waveforms from target emission in two softer spectral bands are also shown; the X-ray emissions have increasing duration as the spectral content gets softer.« less
A hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline for nanoscale microscopy

PubMed Central

Winarski, Robert P.; Holt, Martin V.; Rose, Volker; Fuesz, Peter; Carbaugh, Dean; Benson, Christa; Shu, Deming; Kline, David; Stephenson, G. Brian; McNulty, Ian; Maser, Jörg

2012-01-01

The Hard X-ray Nanoprobe Beamline (or Nanoprobe Beamline) is an X-ray microscopy facility incorporating diffraction, fluorescence and full-field imaging capabilities designed and operated by the Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Advanced Photon Source at Sector 26 of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This facility was constructed to probe the nanoscale structure of biological, environmental and material sciences samples. The beamline provides intense focused X-rays to the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (or Nanoprobe) which incorporates Fresnel zone plate optics and a precision laser sensing and control system. The beamline operates over X-ray energies from 3 to 30 keV, enabling studies of most elements in the periodic table, with a particular emphasis on imaging transition metals. PMID:23093770

A hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline for nanoscale microscopy.

PubMed

Winarski, Robert P; Holt, Martin V; Rose, Volker; Fuesz, Peter; Carbaugh, Dean; Benson, Christa; Shu, Deming; Kline, David; Stephenson, G Brian; McNulty, Ian; Maser, Jörg

2012-11-01

The Hard X-ray Nanoprobe Beamline (or Nanoprobe Beamline) is an X-ray microscopy facility incorporating diffraction, fluorescence and full-field imaging capabilities designed and operated by the Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Advanced Photon Source at Sector 26 of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This facility was constructed to probe the nanoscale structure of biological, environmental and material sciences samples. The beamline provides intense focused X-rays to the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (or Nanoprobe) which incorporates Fresnel zone plate optics and a precision laser sensing and control system. The beamline operates over X-ray energies from 3 to 30 keV, enabling studies of most elements in the periodic table, with a particular emphasis on imaging transition metals.
Development of high intensity X-ray sources at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, M. J.; Colvin, J. D.; Kemp, G. E.; Barrios, M. A.; Widmann, K.; Benjamin, R.; Thorn, D.; Poole, P.; Blue, B.

2018-05-01

Laser heated plasmas have provided recently some of the most powerful and energetic nanosecond length laboratory sources of x-ray photons (Ephoton = 1-30 keV). The highest x-ray to laser conversion is currently accessible by using underdense (ne ˜ 0.25 nc) plasmas since optimal laser coupling is obtained in millimeter scale targets. The targets can have conversion efficiencies of up to 10%. Several types of targets can be used to produce underdense plasmas: metal lined cylindrical cavities, gas pipes, and most recently nano-wire foams. Both the experimental and simulation details of these high intensity x-ray sources are discussed.
Silicon Photodiode Soft X-Ray Detectors for Pulsed Power Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

AXUV -100 silicon photodiode were performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), our Bechtel Nevada laboratories, and the...NSLS at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The AXUV -100 diode is covered with a 60 angstrom Si02 window over its entire surface. The higher response lobes...in the visible and at higher x-ray energies seen by the HS-1 are absent in the AXUV -100 calibrations. The two model calculations assume 2.73 x 105 A
Femtosecond profiling of shaped x-ray pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, M. C.; Grguraš, I.; Behrens, C.; Bostedt, C.; Bozek, J.; Bromberger, H.; Coffee, R.; Costello, J. T.; DiMauro, L. F.; Ding, Y.; Doumy, G.; Helml, W.; Ilchen, M.; Kienberger, R.; Lee, S.; Maier, A. R.; Mazza, T.; Meyer, M.; Messerschmidt, M.; Schorb, S.; Schweinberger, W.; Zhang, K.; Cavalieri, A. L.

2018-03-01

Arbitrary manipulation of the temporal and spectral properties of x-ray pulses at free-electron lasers would revolutionize many experimental applications. At the Linac Coherent Light Source at Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory, the momentum phase-space of the free-electron laser driving electron bunch can be tuned to emit a pair of x-ray pulses with independently variable photon energy and femtosecond delay. However, while accelerator parameters can easily be adjusted to tune the electron bunch phase-space, the final impact of these actuators on the x-ray pulse cannot be predicted with sufficient precision. Furthermore, shot-to-shot instabilities that distort the pulse shape unpredictably cannot be fully suppressed. Therefore, the ability to directly characterize the x-rays is essential to ensure precise and consistent control. In this work, we have generated x-ray pulse pairs via electron bunch shaping and characterized them on a single-shot basis with femtosecond resolution through time-resolved photoelectron streaking spectroscopy. This achievement completes an important step toward future x-ray pulse shaping techniques.
Femtosecond profiling of shaped x-ray pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffmann, M. C.; Grguras, I.; Behrens, C.

Arbitrary manipulation of the temporal and spectral properties of x-ray pulses at free-electron lasers would revolutionize many experimental applications. At the Linac Coherent Light Source at Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory, the momentum phase-space of the free-electron laser driving electron bunch can be tuned to emit a pair of x-ray pulses with independently variable photon energy and femtosecond delay. However, while accelerator parameters can easily be adjusted to tune the electron bunch phase-space, the final impact of these actuators on the x-ray pulse cannot be predicted with sufficient precision. Furthermore, shot-to-shot instabilities that distort the pulse shape unpredictably cannot be fullymore » suppressed. Therefore, the ability to directly characterize the x-rays is essential to ensure precise and consistent control. In this work, we have generated x-ray pulse pairs via electron bunch shaping and characterized them on a single-shot basis with femtosecond resolution through time-resolved photoelectron streaking spectroscopy. Furthermore, this achievement completes an important step toward future x-ray pulse shaping techniques.« less
Femtosecond profiling of shaped x-ray pulses

DOE PAGES

Hoffmann, M. C.; Grguras, I.; Behrens, C.; ...

2018-03-26

Arbitrary manipulation of the temporal and spectral properties of x-ray pulses at free-electron lasers would revolutionize many experimental applications. At the Linac Coherent Light Source at Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory, the momentum phase-space of the free-electron laser driving electron bunch can be tuned to emit a pair of x-ray pulses with independently variable photon energy and femtosecond delay. However, while accelerator parameters can easily be adjusted to tune the electron bunch phase-space, the final impact of these actuators on the x-ray pulse cannot be predicted with sufficient precision. Furthermore, shot-to-shot instabilities that distort the pulse shape unpredictably cannot be fullymore » suppressed. Therefore, the ability to directly characterize the x-rays is essential to ensure precise and consistent control. In this work, we have generated x-ray pulse pairs via electron bunch shaping and characterized them on a single-shot basis with femtosecond resolution through time-resolved photoelectron streaking spectroscopy. Furthermore, this achievement completes an important step toward future x-ray pulse shaping techniques.« less
Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability Evaluation of Aluminized Teflon FEP Thermal Control Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A.; deGroh, Kim K.; Stueber, Thomas J.; Sechkar, Edward A.

1998-01-01

Metallized Teflon fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) thermal control insulation is mechanically degraded if exposed to a sufficient fluence of soft x-ray radiation. Soft x-ray photons (4-8 A in wavelength or 1.55 - 3.2 keV) emitted during solar flares have been proposed as a cause of mechanical properties degradation of aluminized Teflon FEP thermal control insulation on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Such degradation can be characterized by a reduction in elongation-to-failure of the Teflon FER Ground laboratory soft x-ray exposure tests of aluminized Teflon FEP were conducted to assess the degree of elongation degradation which would occur as a result of exposure to soft x-rays in the range of 3-10 keV. Tests results indicate that soft x-ray exposure in the 3-10 keV range, at mission fluence levels, does not alone cause the observed reduction in elongation of flight retrieved samples. The soft x-ray exposure facility design, mechanical properties degradation results and implications will be presented.
Kinetic and radiation-hydrodynamic modeling of x-ray heating in laboratory photoionized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancini, Roberto

2017-06-01

In experiments performed at the Z facility of Sandia National Laboratories a cm-scale cell filled with neon gas was driven by the burst of broadband x-rays emitted at the collapse of a wire-array z-pinch turning the gas into a photoionized plasma. Transmission spectroscopy of a narrowband portion of the x-ray flux was used to diagnose the plasma. The data show a highly-ionized neon plasma with a rich line absorption spectrum that permits the extraction of the ionization distribution among Be-, Li-, He- and H-like ions. Analysis of the spectra produced atomic ground and low excited state areal densities in these ions, and from the ratio of first-excited to ground state populations in Li-like neon a temperature of 19±4eV was extracted to characterize the x-ray heating of the plasma. To interpret this observation, we have performed data-constrained view-factor calculations of the spectral distribution of the x-ray drive, self-consistent modeling of electron and atomic kinetics, and radiation-hydrodynamic simulations. For the conditions of the experiment, the electron distribution thermalizes quickly, has a negligible high-energy tail, and is very well approximated by a single Maxwellian distribution. Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations with either LTE or NLTE (i.e. non-equilibrium) atomic physics provide a more complete modeling of the experiment. We found that in order to compute electron temperatures consistent with observation inline non-equilibrium collisional-radiative neon atomic kinetics needs to be taken into account. We discuss the details of LTE and NLTE simulations, and the impact of atomic physics on the radiation heating and cooling rates that determine the plasma temperature. This work was sponsored in part by DOE Office of Science Grant DE-SC0014451, and the Z Facility Fundamental Science Program of SNL.
X-ray source development for EXAFS measurements on the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Coppari, F.; Thorn, D. B.; Kemp, G. E.; ...

2017-08-28

We present that extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements require a bright, spectrally smooth, and broad-band x-ray source. In a laser facility, such an x-ray source can be generated by a laser-driven capsule implosion. In order to optimize the x-ray emission, different capsule types and laser irradiations have been tested at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A crystal spectrometer is used to disperse the x-rays and high efficiency image plate detectors are used to measure the absorption spectra in transmission geometry. Finally, EXAFS measurements at the K-edge of iron at ambient conditions have been obtained for the first timemore » on the NIF laser, and the requirements for optimization have been established.« less
Enabling three-dimensional densitometric measurements using laboratory source X-ray micro-computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankhurst, M. J.; Fowler, R.; Courtois, L.; Nonni, S.; Zuddas, F.; Atwood, R. C.; Davis, G. R.; Lee, P. D.

2018-01-01

We present new software allowing significantly improved quantitative mapping of the three-dimensional density distribution of objects using laboratory source polychromatic X-rays via a beam characterisation approach (c.f. filtering or comparison to phantoms). One key advantage is that a precise representation of the specimen material is not required. The method exploits well-established, widely available, non-destructive and increasingly accessible laboratory-source X-ray tomography. Beam characterisation is performed in two stages: (1) projection data are collected through a range of known materials utilising a novel hardware design integrated into the rotation stage; and (2) a Python code optimises a spectral response model of the system. We provide hardware designs for use with a rotation stage able to be tilted, yet the concept is easily adaptable to virtually any laboratory system and sample, and implicitly corrects the image artefact known as beam hardening.
X-ray astronomy in the laboratory with a miniature compact object produced by laser-driven implosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujioka, Shinsuke; Takabe, Hideaki; Yamamoto, Norimasa; Salzmann, David; Wang, Feilu; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Li, Yutong; Dong, Quanli; Wang, Shoujun; Zhang, Yi; Rhee, Yong-Joo; Lee, Yong-Woo; Han, Jae-Min; Tanabe, Minoru; Fujiwara, Takashi; Nakabayashi, Yuto; Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Jie; Mima, Kunioki

2009-11-01

X-ray spectroscopy is an important tool for understanding the extreme photoionization processes that drive the behaviour of non-thermal equilibrium plasmas in compact astrophysical objects such as black holes. Even so, the distance of these objects from the Earth and the inability to control or accurately ascertain the conditions that govern their behaviour makes it difficult to interpret the origin of the features in astronomical X-ray measurements. Here, we describe an experiment that uses the implosion driven by a 3TW, 4kJ laser system to produce a 0.5keV blackbody radiator that mimics the conditions that exist in the neighbourhood of a black hole. The X-ray spectra emitted from photoionized silicon plasmas resemble those observed from the binary stars Cygnus X-3 (refs 7, 8) and Vela X-1 (refs 9, 10 11) with the Chandra X-ray satellite. As well as demonstrating the ability to create extreme radiation fields in a laboratory plasma, our theoretical interpretation of these laboratory spectra contrasts starkly with the generally accepted explanation for the origin of similar features in astronomical observations. Our experimental approach offers a powerful means to test and validate the computer codes used in X-ray astronomy.
Global Properties of X-Ray Flashes and X-Ray-Rich Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Takanori; Yamazaki, Ryo; Barthelmy, Scott; Gehrels, Neil; Osborne, Julian; Hullinger, Derek; Sato, Goro; Barbier, Louis; Cummings, Jay; Fenimore, Ed; Krimm, Hans; Lamb, Don; Markwardt, Craig; Palmer, David; Parsons, Ann; Stamatikos, Michael; Tueller, Jack

Takanori Sakamoto, Taka.Sakamoto@nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ryo Yamazaki, ryo@theo.phys.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan Scott Barthelmy, scott@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Neil Gehrels, gehrels@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Julian Osborne, julo@star.le.ac.uk University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom Derek Hullinger, derek.hullinger@gmail.com Moxtek, Inc, Orem, Utah, United States Goro Sato, Goro.Sato@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Louis Barbier, lmb@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jay Cummings, jayc@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ed Fenimore, efenimore@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Hans Krimm, hans.krimm@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Don Lamb, d-lamb@uchicago.edu University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States Craig Markwardt, Craig.Markwardt@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States David Palmer, palmer@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Ann Parsons, Ann.M.Parsons@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Michael Stamatikos, michael@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jack Tueller, jack.tueller@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States We present the spectral and temporal characteristics of the prompt emission and X-ray afterglow emission of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (XRRs) detected and observed by Swift between December 2004 and September 2006. We compare these characteristics to a sample of conventional
Combined neutron and x-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (invited)

DOE PAGES

Danly, C. R.; Christensen, K.; Fatherley, Valerie E.; ...

2016-10-11

X-ray and neutrons are commonly used to image Inertial Confinement Fusion implosions, providing key diagnostic information on the fuel assembly of burning DT fuel. The x-ray and neutron data provided are complementary as the production of neutrons and x-rays occur from different physical processes, but typically these two images are collected from different views with no opportunity for co-registration of the two images. Neutrons are produced where the DT fusion fuel is burning; X-rays are produced in regions corresponding to high temperatures. Processes such as mix of ablator material into the hotspot can result in increased x-ray production and decreasedmore » neutron production but can only be confidently observed if the two images are collected along the same line of sight and co-registered. To allow direct comparison of x-ray and neutron data, a Combined Neutron X-ray Imaging system has been tested at Omega and installed at the National Ignition Facility to collect an x-ray image along the currently installed neutron imaging line-of-sight. Here, this system is described, and initial results are presented along with prospects for definitive coregistration of the images.« less
Combined neutron and x-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (invited).

PubMed

Danly, C R; Christensen, K; Fatherley, V E; Fittinghoff, D N; Grim, G P; Hibbard, R; Izumi, N; Jedlovec, D; Merrill, F E; Schmidt, D W; Simpson, R A; Skulina, K; Volegov, P L; Wilde, C H

2016-11-01

X-ray and neutrons are commonly used to image inertial confinement fusion implosions, providing key diagnostic information on the fuel assembly of burning deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel. The x-ray and neutron data provided are complementary as the production of neutrons and x-rays occurs from different physical processes, but typically these two images are collected from different views with no opportunity for co-registration of the two images. Neutrons are produced where the DT fusion fuel is burning; X-rays are produced in regions corresponding to high temperatures. Processes such as mix of ablator material into the hotspot can result in increased x-ray production and decreased neutron production but can only be confidently observed if the two images are collected along the same line of sight and co-registered. To allow direct comparison of x-ray and neutron data, a combined neutron x-ray imaging system has been tested at Omega and installed at the National Ignition Facility to collect an x-ray image along the currently installed neutron imaging line of sight. This system is described, and initial results are presented along with prospects for definitive coregistration of the images.
Simultaneous emissions of X-rays and microwaves from long laboratory sparks and downward lightning leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montanya, J.; Oscar, V. D. V.; Tapia, F. F.

2017-12-01

Since the discovery of the Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes more than 20 years ago, investigations on high energy emissions from natural lightning and high voltage laboratory sparks gained significant interest. X-ray emissions from lightning as well from high voltage laboratory sparks have in common the role played by negative leaders/streamers. On the other hand, negative leaders are well known to produce much more VHF and microwave radiation than positive leaders. Moreover, in previous works, microwave emissions from lightning leaders have been attributed to Bremsstrahlung process. The object of this work is to investigate if X-rays and RF microwave emissions share the same origin. We present simultaneous measurements of X-rays and microwaves in high voltage sparks and natural lightning. The instrumentation consists on a NaI(Tl) and LaBr3 scintillation detectors and two different receivers. One is fix tuned at 2.4 GHz with a bandwidth of 5.5 MHz. The second can be tuned at any frequency up to 18 GHz with different selectable bandwidths of 10 MHz, 40 MHz and 100 MHz. In the laboratory, results have shown that all the sparks presented microwave radiation before the breakdown of the gap, either X-rays were detected or not. In the cases where X-rays were identified, microwave emissions peaked at the same time (in the microsecond scale). We found that the power amplitudes of the microwave emissions are related to the applied voltage to the gap. In the same configuration, those cases where X-rays were detected microwave emissions presented higher power levels. The results suggest that in some part of the discharge electrons are very fast accelerated allowing, in some cases, to reach enought energy to produce X-rays. In the field, we have found similar results. On 13th of June of 2015 a bipolar cloud-to-ground flash struck 200 m close to the Eagle Nest instrumented tower (Spanish Pyrenees, 2536 m ASL). The flash presented four strokes and, in all of them, microwave
X-Ray Scan Detection for Cargo Integrity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valencia, Juan D.; Miller, Steven D.

ABSTRACT The increase of terrorism and its global impact has made the determination of the contents of cargo containers a necessity. Existing technology allows non-intrusive inspections to determine the contents of a container rapidly and accurately. However, some cargo shipments are exempt from such inspections. Hence, there is a need for a technology that enables rapid and accurate means of detecting whether such containers were non-intrusively inspected. Non-intrusive inspections are most commonly performed utilizing high powered X-ray equipment. The challenge is creating a device that can detect short duration X-ray scans while maintaining a portable, battery powered, low cost, andmore » easy to use platform. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a methodology and prototype device focused on this challenge. The prototype, developed by PNNL, is a battery powered electronic device that continuously measures its X-ray and Gamma exposure, calculates the dose equivalent rate, and makes a determination of whether the device has been exposed to the amount of radiation experienced during an X-ray inspection. Once an inspection is detected, the device will record a timestamp of the event and relay the information to authorized personnel via a visual alert, USB connection, and/or wireless communication. The results of this research demonstrate that PNNL’s prototype device can be effective at determining whether a container was scanned by X-ray equipment typically used for cargo container inspections. This paper focuses on laboratory measurements and test results acquired with the PNNL prototype device using several X-ray radiation levels. Keywords: Radiation, Scan, X-ray, Gamma, Detection, Cargo, Container, Wireless, RF« less
Asymmetric masks for laboratory-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging with edge illumination.

PubMed

Endrizzi, Marco; Astolfo, Alberto; Vittoria, Fabio A; Millard, Thomas P; Olivo, Alessandro

2016-05-05

We report on an asymmetric mask concept that enables X-ray phase-contrast imaging without requiring any movement in the system during data acquisition. The method is compatible with laboratory equipment, namely a commercial detector and a rotating anode tube. The only motion required is that of the object under investigation which is scanned through the imaging system. Two proof-of-principle optical elements were designed, fabricated and experimentally tested. Quantitative measurements on samples of known shape and composition were compared to theory with good agreement. The method is capable of measuring the attenuation, refraction and (ultra-small-angle) X-ray scattering, does not have coherence requirements and naturally adapts to all those situations in which the X-ray image is obtained by scanning a sample through the imaging system.
Resolution of x-ray parabolic compound refractive diamond lens defined at the home laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, S. N.; Zholudev, S. I.; Gasilov, S. V.; Martyushov, S. Yu.; Denisov, V. N.; Terentiev, S. A.; Blank, V. D.

2017-05-01

Here we demonstrate performance of an original lab system designed for testing of X-ray parabolic compound refractive lenses (CRL) manufactured from a high-quality single-crystalline synthetic diamond grown by the high-pressure hightemperature technique. The basic parameters of a diamond CRL comprised from 28 plano-concave lenses such as the focal length of 634 mm, transmissivity of 0.36, field of view of 1 mm and resolution of 6 µm have been determined. Usually such measurements are performed on synchrotron radiation facilities. In this work characterization of CRL was performed by means of instruments and components that are available for laboratories such as the Rigaku 9kW rotating anode X-ray generator, the PANalytical parallel beam X-ray mirror, a 6 m long optical bench, high precision multi-axis goniometers, high resolution X-ray emulsion films, and ultra-fast high-sensitive X-ray area detector PIXel3D. Developed setup was used to find differences between experimental and design parameters, which is very important for the improvement of CRLs manufacturing technology.
X-ray scan detection for cargo integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, Juan; Miller, Steve

2011-04-01

The increase of terrorism and its global impact has made the determination of the contents of cargo containers a necessity. Existing technology allows non-intrusive inspections to determine the contents of a container rapidly and accurately. However, some cargo shipments are exempt from such inspections. Hence, there is a need for a technology that enables rapid and accurate means of detecting whether such containers were non-intrusively inspected. Non-intrusive inspections are most commonly performed utilizing high powered X-ray equipment. The challenge is creating a device that can detect short duration X-ray scans while maintaining a portable, battery powered, low cost, and easy to use platform. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a methodology and prototype device focused on this challenge. The prototype, developed by PNNL, is a battery powered electronic device that continuously measures its X-ray and Gamma exposure, calculates the dose equivalent rate, and makes a determination of whether the device has been exposed to the amount of radiation experienced during an X-ray inspection. Once an inspection is detected, the device will record a timestamp of the event and relay the information to authorized personnel via a visual alert, USB connection, and/or wireless communication. The results of this research demonstrate that PNNL's prototype device can be effective at determining whether a container was scanned by X-ray equipment typically used for cargo container inspections. This paper focuses on laboratory measurements and test results acquired with the PNNL prototype device using several X-ray radiation levels.
Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic for National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewald, E.L.; Campbell, K.M.; Turner, R.E.

2004-10-01

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency, and albedo that define the energetics in indirect and direct drive, as well as other types of high temperature laser plasma experiments. A key diagnostic for absolute radiation flux and radiation temperature in hohlraum experiments is the Dante broadband soft x-ray spectrometer. For the extended range of x-ray fluxes predicted for National Ignition Facility (NIF) compared to Omega or Nova hohlraums, the Dante spectrometer for NIF will include more high energy (<2 keV) edge filter band-pass channels and access to an increased dynamic rangemore » using grids and signal division. This will allow measurements of radiation fluxes of between 0.01 to 100 TW/sr, for hohlraum radiation temperatures between 50 eV and 1 keV. The NIF Dante will include a central four-channel imaging line-of-sight to verify the source size, alignment as well as checking for any radiation contributions from unconverted laser light plasmas.« less

Ground Laboratory Soft X-Ray Durability Evaluation of Aluminized Teflon FEP Thermal Control Insulation. Revised

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A.; deGroh, Kim K.; Stueber, Thomas J.; Sechkar, Edward A.; Hall, Rachelle L.

1998-01-01

Metallized Teflon fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) thermal control insulation is mechanically degraded if exposed to a sufficient fluence of soft x-ray radiation. Soft x-ray photons (4-8 A in wavelength or 1.55 - 3.2 keV) emitted during solar flares have been proposed as a cause of mechanical properties degradation of aluminized Teflon FEP thermal control insulation on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Such degradation can be characterized by a reduction in elongation-to-failure of the Teflon FEP. Ground laboratory soft x-ray exposure tests of aluminized Teflon FEP were conducted to assess the degree of elongation degradation which would occur as a result of exposure to soft x-rays in the range of 3-10 keV. Tests results indicate that soft x-ray exposure in the 3-10 keV range, at mission fluence levels, does not alone cause the observed reduction in elongation of flight retrieved samples. The soft x-ray exposure facility design, mechanical properties degradation results and implications will be presented.
Radiation hardening of gated x-ray imagers for the National Ignition Facility (invited).

PubMed

Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Kilkenny, J D; Conder, A; Cerjan, C; Hagmann, C; Hey, D; Izumi, N; Moody, J; Teruya, A; Celeste, J; Kimbrough, J; Khater, H; Eckart, M J; Ayers, J

2010-10-01

The National Ignition Facility will soon be producing x-ray flux and neutron yields higher than any produced in laser driven implosion experiments in the past. Even a non-igniting capsule will require x-ray imaging of near burning plasmas at 10(17) neutrons, requiring x-ray recording systems to work in more hostile conditions than we have encountered in past laser facilities. We will present modeling, experimental data and design concepts for x-ray imaging with electronic recording systems for this environment (ARIANE). A novel instrument, active readout in a nuclear environment, is described which uses the time-of-flight difference between the gated x-ray signal and the neutron which induces a background signal to increase the yield at which gated cameras can be used.
Abdominal x-ray

MedlinePlus

... are, or may be, pregnant. Alternative Names Abdominal film; X-ray - abdomen; Flat plate; KUB x-ray ... Guidelines Viewers & Players MedlinePlus Connect for EHRs For Developers U.S. National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike, ...
Two-dimensional single crystal diamond refractive x-ray lens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antipov, S., E-mail: s.antipov@euclidtechlabs.com; Baryshev, S. V.; Butler, J. E.

2016-07-27

The next generation light sources such as diffraction-limited storage rings and high repetition rate x-ray free-electron lasers will generate x-ray beams with significantly increased brilliance. These future machines will require X-ray optical components that are capable of handling higher instantaneous and average power densities while tailoring the properties of the x-ray beams for a variety of scientific experiments. Single crystal diamond is one of the best bulk materials for this application, because it is radiation hard, has a suitable uniform index of refraction and the best available thermal properties. In this paper we report on fabrication and experimental testing ofmore » a two-dimensional (2D) single crystal diamond compound refractive X-ray lenses (CRL). These lenses were manufactured using femto-second laser cutting and tested at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory.« less
Measurements of the hard-x-ray reflectivity of iridium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romaine, S.; Bruni, R.; Gorenstein, P.

2007-01-10

In connection with the design of a hard-x-ray telescope for the Constellation X-Ray Observatory we measured the reflectivity of an iridium-coated zerodur substrate as a function of angle at 55, 60, 70, and 80 keV at the National Synchrotron Light Source of Brookhaven National Laboratory. The optical constants were derived from the reflectivity data. The real component of the index of refraction is in excellent agreement with theoretical values at all four energies. However, the imaginary component, which is related to the mass attenuation coefficient, is 50% to 70% larger at 55, 60, and 70 keV than theoretical values.
Measurements of the hard-x-ray reflectivity of iridium.

PubMed

Romaine, S; Bruni, R; Gorenstein, P; Zhong, Z

2007-01-10

In connection with the design of a hard-x-ray telescope for the Constellation X-Ray Observatory we measured the reflectivity of an iridium-coated zerodur substrate as a function of angle at 55, 60, 70, and 80 keV at the National Synchrotron Light Source of Brookhaven National Laboratory. The optical constants were derived from the reflectivity data. The real component of the index of refraction is in excellent agreement with theoretical values at all four energies. However, the imaginary component, which is related to the mass attenuation coefficient, is 50% to 70% larger at 55, 60, and 70 keV than theoretical values.
Pollen structure visualization using high-resolution laboratory-based hard X-ray tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Qiong; Gluch, Jürgen; Krüger, Peter

A laboratory-based X-ray microscope is used to investigate the 3D structure of unstained whole pollen grains. For the first time, high-resolution laboratory-based hard X-ray microscopy is applied to study pollen grains. Based on the efficient acquisition of statistically relevant information-rich images using Zernike phase contrast, both surface- and internal structures of pine pollen - including exine, intine and cellular structures - are clearly visualized. The specific volumes of these structures are calculated from the tomographic data. The systematic three-dimensional study of pollen grains provides morphological and structural information about taxonomic characters that are essential in palynology. Such studies have amore » direct impact on disciplines such as forestry, agriculture, horticulture, plant breeding and biodiversity. - Highlights: • The unstained whole pine pollen was visualized by high-resolution laboratory-based HXRM for the first time. • The comparison study of pollen grains by LM, SEM and high-resolution laboratory-based HXRM. • Phase contrast imaging provides significantly higher contrast of the raw images compared to absorption contrast imaging. • Surface and internal structure of the pine pollen including exine, intine and cellular structures are clearly visualized. • 3D volume data of unstained whole pollen grains are acquired and the specific volumes of the different layer are calculated.« less
Development of High Fluence, High Conversion Efficiency X-Ray Sources at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, Mark

2017-10-01

Laser heated millimeter scale targets have provided recently some of the most powerful and energetic laboratory sources of x-ray photons (E = 6 - 24 keV) with high fluence and conversion efficiency (CE). These sources have included the K-shell of stainless steel (E = 5-9 keV) from cylindrical cavities having a CE of 6.8% (Etot 31 kJ), the K-shell of Kr (E = 8-20 keV) from gas pipes having a CE of 1.6% ( 20 kJ) and the L-shell of Ag (E = 3-5 keV) from novel nano-wire foam targets having a CE of 16% ( 81 kJ). The x-ray power and CE are dependent upon the peak electron temperature in the radiating plasma created from these underdense (ne < 0.25 nc) sources. The temperature can be limited by the available laser power and energy which can cause the fluence and the CE to be suboptimal especially for high Z K-shell sources. Cavity targets require several nanoseconds for the underdense plasma to fill the cavity but do have an increase in temperature and emission at late time from plasma stagnation on axis. In contrast the gas or foam targets heat volumetrically to an underdense source in less than a nanosecond which can be more efficient. Both the experimental and simulation details of these high fluence x-ray sources will be discussed. This work was done under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Atomic Calculations and Laboratory Measurements Relevant to X-ray Warm Absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kallman, Tim; Bautista, M.; Palmeri, P.

2007-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews the atomic calculations and the measurements from the laboratory that are relevant to our understanding of X-Ray Warm Absorbers. Included is a brief discussion of the theoretical and the experimental tools. Also included is a discussion of the challenges, and calculations relevant to dielectronic recombination, photoionization cross sections, and collisional ionization. A review of the models is included, and the sequence that the models were applied.
Laboratory Measurements Of Charge-exchange Produced X-ray Emission From K-shell Transitions In Hydrogenic And Helium-like Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Gregory V.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Boyce, K. R.; Chen, H.; Gu, M. F.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Porter, F. S.; Thorn, D.; Wargelin, B.

2006-09-01

We have used a microcalorimeter and solid state detectors to measure x-ray emission produced by charge exchange reactions between bare and hydrogenic Fe colliding with neutral helium, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas. We show the measured spectral signature produced by different neutral donors and compare our results to theory where available. We also compare our results to measurements of the Fe K line emission from the Galactic Center measured by the XIS on the Suzaku x-ray observatory. This comparison shows that charge exchange recombination between highly charged ions (either cosmic rays or thermal ions) and neutral gas is probably not the dominant source of diffuse line emission in the Galactic Center. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48, and is also supported by NASA APRA grants to LLNL, GSFC, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, and Stanford University.
X-ray imaging of fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moosman, B.; Song, Y.; Weathers, L.; Wessel, F.

1996-11-01

A pulsed x-ray backlighter was developed to image exploding wires and cryogenic fibers. The x-ray pulse width is between 10-20 ns, with an output of 100-150 mJ, mostly in the Al k-shell (1.486 keV). The backlighter is located 50 cm from the 20-50 micron diameter target (typically, a copper wire). A 15 micron Al filter eliminates UV emission from the backlighter and target. It is placed 3 cm from the target with SB-5 film directly behind it. From the optical density of the film, target absorption and density can be calculated. The spatial resolution of this system is better than 40 microns. The wire is exploded using a 10 kA, 1 microsecond pulser. Analysis with simultaneous Moire imaging will also be presented. Supported by Los Alamos National Laboratories
X-ray pinhole camera setups used in the Atomki ECR Laboratory for plasma diagnostics.

PubMed

Rácz, R; Biri, S; Pálinkás, J; Mascali, D; Castro, G; Caliri, C; Romano, F P; Gammino, S

2016-02-01

Imaging of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasmas by using CCD camera in combination with a pinhole is a non-destructive diagnostics method to record the strongly inhomogeneous spatial density distribution of the X-ray emitted by the plasma and by the chamber walls. This method can provide information on the location of the collisions between warm electrons and multiple charged ions/atoms, opening the possibility to investigate the direct effect of the ion source tuning parameters to the plasma structure. The first successful experiment with a pinhole X-ray camera was carried out in the Atomki ECR Laboratory more than 10 years ago. The goal of that experiment was to make the first ECR X-ray photos and to carry out simple studies on the effect of some setting parameters (magnetic field, extraction, disc voltage, gas mixing, etc.). Recently, intensive efforts were taken to investigate now the effect of different RF resonant modes to the plasma structure. Comparing to the 2002 experiment, this campaign used wider instrumental stock: CCD camera with a lead pinhole was placed at the injection side allowing X-ray imaging and beam extraction simultaneously. Additionally, Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) and High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors were installed to characterize the volumetric X-ray emission rate caused by the warm and hot electron domains. In this paper, detailed comparison study on the two X-ray camera and detector setups and also on the technical and scientific goals of the experiments is presented.
Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Risk Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Cheryl; Deininger, William D.; Baggett, Randy; Primo, Attina; Bowen, Mike; Cowart, Chris; Del Monte, Ettore; Ingram, Lindsey; Kalinowski, William; Kelley, Anthony;

2018-01-01

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) project is an international collaboration to build and fly a polarization sensitive X-ray observatory. The IXPE Observatory consists of the spacecraft and payload. The payload is composed of three X-ray telescopes, each consisting of a mirror module optical assembly and a polarization-sensitive X-ray detector assembly; a deployable boom maintains the focal length between the optical assemblies and the detectors. The goal of the IXPE Mission is to provide new information about the origins of cosmic X-rays and their interactions with matter and gravity as they travel through space. IXPE will do this by exploiting its unique capability to measure the polarization of X-rays emitted by cosmic sources. The collaboration for IXPE involves national and international partners during design, fabrication, assembly, integration, test, and operations. The full collaboration includes NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Ball Aerospace, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Italian Institute of Astrophysics and Space Planetology (IAPS)/Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the University of Colorado (CU) Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Stanford University, McGill University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The goal of this paper is to discuss risk management as it applies to the IXPE project. The full IXPE Team participates in risk management providing both unique challenges and advantages for project risk management. Risk management is being employed in all phases of the IXPE Project, but is particularly important during planning and initial execution-the current phase of the IXPE Project. The discussion will address IXPE risk strategies and responsibilities, along with the IXPE management process which includes risk identification, risk assessment, risk response, and risk monitoring, control, and reporting.

X-ray Measurements of Laser Irradiated Foam Filled Liners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patankar, Siddharth; Mariscal, Derek; Goyon, Clement; Baker, Kevin; MacLaren, Stephan; Hammer, Jim; Baumann, Ted; Amendt, Peter; Menapace, Joseph; Berger, Bob; Afeyan, Bedros; Tabak, Max; Dixit, Sham; Kim, Sung Ho; Moody, John; Jones, Ogden

2016-10-01

Low-density foam liners are being investigated as sources of efficient x-rays. Understanding the laser-foam interaction is key to modeling and optimizing foam composition and density for x-ray production with reduced backscatter. We report on the experimental results of laser-irradiated foam liners filled with SiO2 and Ta2O5 foams at densities between 2 to 30mg/cc. The foam liners consist of polyimide tubes filled with low-density foams and sealed with a gold foil at one end. The open end of the tube is driven with 250J of 527nm laser light in a 2ns 2-step pulse using the Jupiter Laser Facility at LLNL. A full aperture backscatter system is used to diagnose the coupled energy and losses. A streaked x-ray camera and filtered x-ray pinhole cameras are used to measure laser penetration into the low-density foam for different mass densities. A HOPG crystal spectrometer is used to estimate a thermal electron temperature. Comparisons with beam propagation and x-ray emission simulations are presented. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, with funding support from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program under project 15.
Production of photoionized plasmas in the laboratory with x-ray line radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, S.; Irwin, R.; Warwick, J. R.; Gribakin, G. F.; Sarri, G.; Keenan, F. P.; Riley, D.; Rose, S. J.; Hill, E. G.; Ferland, G. J.; Han, B.; Wang, F.; Zhao, G.

2018-06-01

In this paper we report the experimental implementation of a theoretically proposed technique for creating a photoionized plasma in the laboratory using x-ray line radiation. Using a Sn laser plasma to irradiate an Ar gas target, the photoionization parameter, ξ =4 π F /Ne , reached values of order 50 ergcm s-1 , where F is the radiation flux in ergc m-2s-1 . The significance of this is that this technique allows us to mimic effective spectral radiation temperatures in excess of 1 keV. We show that our plasma starts to be collisionally dominated before the peak of the x-ray drive. However, the technique is extendable to higher-energy laser systems to create plasmas with parameters relevant to benchmarking codes used to model astrophysical objects.
Laser plasma x-ray source for ultrafast time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Miaja-Avila, L.; O'Neil, G. C.; Uhlig, J.; ...

2015-03-02

We describe a laser-driven x-ray plasma source designed for ultrafast x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The source is comprised of a 1 kHz, 20 W, femtosecond pulsed infrared laser and a water target. We present the x-ray spectra as a function of laser energy and pulse duration. Additionally, we investigate the plasma temperature and photon flux as we vary the laser energy. We obtain a 75 μm FWHM x-ray spot size, containing ~10 6 photons/s, by focusing the produced x-rays with a polycapillary optic. Since the acquisition of x-ray absorption spectra requires the averaging of measurements from >10 7 laser pulses, wemore » also present data on the source stability, including single pulse measurements of the x-ray yield and the x-ray spectral shape. In single pulse measurements, the x-ray flux has a measured standard deviation of 8%, where the laser pointing is the main cause of variability. Further, we show that the variability in x-ray spectral shape from single pulses is low, thus justifying the combining of x-rays obtained from different laser pulses into a single spectrum. Finally, we show a static x-ray absorption spectrum of a ferrioxalate solution as detected by a microcalorimeter array. Altogether, our results demonstrate that this water-jet based plasma source is a suitable candidate for laboratory-based time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments.« less
X-ray Crystallography Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Edward Snell, a National Research Council research fellow at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), prepares a protein crystal for analysis by x-ray crystallography as part of NASA's structural biology program. The small, individual crystals are bombarded with x-rays to produce diffraction patterns, a map of the intensity of the x-rays as they reflect through the crystal.
Non-destructive mapping of grain orientations in 3D by laboratory X-ray microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, S. A.; Reischig, P.; Holzner, C.; Lauridsen, E. M.; Withers, P. J.; Merkle, A. P.; Feser, M.

2015-10-01

The ability to characterise crystallographic microstructure, non-destructively and in three-dimensions, is a powerful tool for understanding many aspects related to damage and deformation mechanisms in polycrystalline materials. To this end, the technique of X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) using monochromatic synchrotron and polychromatic laboratory X-ray sources has been shown to be capable of mapping crystal grains and their orientations non-destructively in 3D. Here we describe a novel laboratory-based X-ray DCT modality (LabDCT), enabling the wider accessibility of the DCT technique for routine use and in-depth studies of, for example, temporal changes in crystallographic grain structure non-destructively over time through ‘4D’ in situ time-lapse studies. The capability of the technique is demonstrated by studying a titanium alloy (Ti-β21S) sample. In the current implementation the smallest grains that can be reliably detected are around 40 μm. The individual grain locations and orientations are reconstructed using the LabDCT method and the results are validated against independent measurements from phase contrast tomography and electron backscatter diffraction respectively. Application of the technique promises to provide important insights related to the roles of recrystallization and grain growth on materials properties as well as supporting 3D polycrystalline modelling of materials performance.
Non-destructive mapping of grain orientations in 3D by laboratory X-ray microscopy.

PubMed

McDonald, S A; Reischig, P; Holzner, C; Lauridsen, E M; Withers, P J; Merkle, A P; Feser, M

2015-10-23

The ability to characterise crystallographic microstructure, non-destructively and in three-dimensions, is a powerful tool for understanding many aspects related to damage and deformation mechanisms in polycrystalline materials. To this end, the technique of X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) using monochromatic synchrotron and polychromatic laboratory X-ray sources has been shown to be capable of mapping crystal grains and their orientations non-destructively in 3D. Here we describe a novel laboratory-based X-ray DCT modality (LabDCT), enabling the wider accessibility of the DCT technique for routine use and in-depth studies of, for example, temporal changes in crystallographic grain structure non-destructively over time through '4D' in situ time-lapse studies. The capability of the technique is demonstrated by studying a titanium alloy (Ti-β21S) sample. In the current implementation the smallest grains that can be reliably detected are around 40 μm. The individual grain locations and orientations are reconstructed using the LabDCT method and the results are validated against independent measurements from phase contrast tomography and electron backscatter diffraction respectively. Application of the technique promises to provide important insights related to the roles of recrystallization and grain growth on materials properties as well as supporting 3D polycrystalline modelling of materials performance.
X-Ray Topography of Tetragonal Lysozyme Grown by the Temperature-Controlled Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stojanoff, V.; Siddons, D. P.; Monaco, Lisa A.; Vekilov, Peter; Rosenberger, Franz

1997-01-01

Growth-induced defects in lysozyme crystals were observed by white-beam and monochromatic X-ray topography at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The topographic methods were non-destructive to the extent that traditional diffraction data collection could be performed to high resolution after topography. It was found that changes in growth parameters, defect concentration as detected by X-ray topography, and the diffraction quality obtainable from the crystals were all strongly correlated. In addition, crystals with fewer defects showed lower mosaicity and higher diffraction resolution as expected.

Technological Challenges to X-Ray FELs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuhn, Heinz-Dieter

1999-09-16

There is strong interest in the development of x-ray free electron lasers (x-ray FELs). The interest is driven by the scientific opportunities provided by intense, coherent x-rays. An x-ray FEL has all the characteristics of a fourth-generation source: brightness several orders of magnitude greater than presently achieved in third-generation sources, full transverse coherence, and sub-picosecond long pulses. The SLAC and DESY laboratories have presented detailed design studies for X-Ray FEL user facilities around the 0.1 nm wavelength-regime (LCLS at SLAC, TESLA X-Ray FEL at DESY). Both laboratories are engaged in proof-of-principle experiments are longer wavelengths (TTF FEL Phase I atmore » 71 nm, VISA at 600-800 nm) with results expected in 1999. The technologies needed to achieve the proposed performances are those of bright electron sources, of acceleration systems capable of preserving the brightness of the source, and of undulators capable of meeting the magnetic and mechanical tolerances that are required for operation in the SASE mode. This paper discusses the technological challenges presented by the X-Ray FEL projects.« less
Soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) of actinide particles.

PubMed

Nilsson, Hans J; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Wilson, Richard E; Werme, Lars; Shuh, David K

2005-09-01

A descriptive account is given of our most recent research on the actinide dioxides with the Advanced Light Source Molecular Environmental Science (ALS-MES) Beamline 11.0.2 soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The ALS-MES STXM permits near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and imaging with 30-nm spatial resolution. The first STXM spectromicroscopy NEXAFS spectra at the actinide 4d5/2 edges of the imaged transuranic particles, NpO2 and PuO2, have been obtained. Radiation damage induced by the STXM was observed in the investigation of a mixed oxidation state particle (Np(V,VI)) and was minimized during collection of the actual spectra at the 4d5/2 edge of the Np(V,VI) solid. A plutonium elemental map was obtained from an irregular PuO2 particle with the dimensions of 650 x 650 nm. The Pu 4d5/2 NEXAFS spectra were collected at several different locations from the PuO2 particle and were identical. A representative oxygen K-edge spectrum from UO2 was collected and resembles the oxygen K-edge from the bulk material. The unique and current performance of the ALS-MES STXM at extremely low energies (ca. 100 eV) that may permit the successful measurement of the actinide 5d edge is documented. Finally, the potential of STXM as a tool for actinide investigations is briefly discussed.
X-ray pinhole camera setups used in the Atomki ECR Laboratory for plasma diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rácz, R., E-mail: rracz@atomki.hu; Biri, S.; Pálinkás, J.

Imaging of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasmas by using CCD camera in combination with a pinhole is a non-destructive diagnostics method to record the strongly inhomogeneous spatial density distribution of the X-ray emitted by the plasma and by the chamber walls. This method can provide information on the location of the collisions between warm electrons and multiple charged ions/atoms, opening the possibility to investigate the direct effect of the ion source tuning parameters to the plasma structure. The first successful experiment with a pinhole X-ray camera was carried out in the Atomki ECR Laboratory more than 10 years ago.more » The goal of that experiment was to make the first ECR X-ray photos and to carry out simple studies on the effect of some setting parameters (magnetic field, extraction, disc voltage, gas mixing, etc.). Recently, intensive efforts were taken to investigate now the effect of different RF resonant modes to the plasma structure. Comparing to the 2002 experiment, this campaign used wider instrumental stock: CCD camera with a lead pinhole was placed at the injection side allowing X-ray imaging and beam extraction simultaneously. Additionally, Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) and High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors were installed to characterize the volumetric X-ray emission rate caused by the warm and hot electron domains. In this paper, detailed comparison study on the two X-ray camera and detector setups and also on the technical and scientific goals of the experiments is presented.« less
X-band RF gun and linac for medical Compton scattering X-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobashi, Katsuhito; Uesaka, Mitsuru; Fukasawa, Atsushi; Sakamoto, Fumito; Ebina, Futaro; Ogino, Haruyuki; Urakawa, Junji; Higo, Toshiyasu; Akemoto, Mitsuo; Hayano, Hitoshi; Nakagawa, Keiichi

2004-12-01

Compton scattering hard X-ray source for 10-80 keV are under construction using the X-band (11.424 GHz) electron linear accelerator and YAG laser at Nuclear Engineering Research laboratory, University of Tokyo. This work is a part of the national project on the development of advanced compact medical accelerators in Japan. National Institute for Radiological Science is the host institute and U.Tokyo and KEK are working for the X-ray source. Main advantage is to produce tunable monochromatic hard (10-80 keV) X-rays with the intensities of 108-1010 photons/s (at several stages) and the table-top size. Second important aspect is to reduce noise radiation at a beam dump by adopting the deceleration of electrons after the Compton scattering. This realizes one beamline of a 3rd generation SR source at small facilities without heavy shielding. The final goal is that the linac and laser are installed on the moving gantry. We have designed the X-band (11.424 GHz) traveling-wave-type linac for the purpose. Numerical consideration by CAIN code and luminosity calculation are performed to estimate the X-ray yield. X-band thermionic-cathode RF-gun and RDS(Round Detuned Structure)-type X-band accelerating structure are applied to generate 50 MeV electron beam with 20 pC microbunches (104) for 1 microsecond RF macro-pulse. The X-ray yield by the electron beam and Q-switch Nd:YAG laser of 2 J/10 ns is 107 photons/RF-pulse (108 photons/sec at 10 pps). We design to adopt a technique of laser circulation to increase the X-ray yield up to 109 photons/pulse (1010 photons/s). 50 MW X-band klystron and compact modulator have been constructed and now under tuning. The construction of the whole system has started. X-ray generation and medical application will be performed in the early next year.
Mineralogy by X-ray Diffraction on Mars: The Chemin Instrument on Mars Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaniman, D. T.; Bristow, T. F.; Bish, D. L.; Ming, D. W.; Blake, D. F.; Morris, R. V.; Rampe, E. B.; Chipera, S. J.; Treiman, A. H.; Morrison, S. M.;

2014-01-01

To obtain detailed mineralogy information, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity carries CheMin, the first X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument used on a planet other than Earth. CheMin has provided the first in situ XRD analyses of full phase assemblages on another planet.

Soft x-ray power diagnostic improvements at the Omega Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sorce, C.; Schein, J.; Weber, F.

2006-10-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for evaluating high temperature laser plasma experiments. The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer, a core diagnostic for radiation flux and temperature measurements of Hohlraums, installed on the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics has recently undergone a series of upgrades. Work performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory for the development of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Dante spectrometer enables the Omega Dante to offer a total of 18 absolutely calibrated channels in the energy range from 50 eV to 20 keV. This feature provides Dante with the capability to measure higher, NIF relevant,more » radiation temperatures with increased accuracy including a differentiation of higher energy radiation such as the Au M and L bands. Diagnostic monitoring using experimental data from directly driven Au spherical shots is discussed.« less
Microcalorimeters for High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silver, E.; Flowers, Bobby J. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

The proposal has three major objectives. The first focuses on advanced neutron-transmutation-doped (NTD)-based microcalorimeter development. Our goal is to develop an array of microcalorimeters with sub- 5 eV energy resolution that can operate with pile-up-free throughput of at least 100 Hz per pixel. The second objective is to establish our microcalorimeter as an essential x-ray diagnostic for laboratory astrophysics studies. We propose to develop a dedicated microcalorimeter spectrometer for the EBIT (electron beam ion trap). This instrument will incorporate the latest detector and cryogenic technology that we have available. The third objective is to investigate innovative ideas related to possible flight opportunities. These include compact, long lived cryo-systems, ultra-low temperature cold stages, low mass and low power electronics, and novel assemblies of thin windows with high x-ray transmission.
PAL-XFEL soft X-ray scientific instruments and X-ray optics: First commissioning results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sang Han; Kim, Minseok; Min, Changi-Ki; Eom, Intae; Nam, Inhyuk; Lee, Heung-Soo; Kang, Heung-Sik; Kim, Hyeong-Do; Jang, Ho Young; Kim, Seonghan; Hwang, Sun-min; Park, Gi-Soo; Park, Jaehun; Koo, Tae-Yeong; Kwon, Soonnam

2018-05-01

We report an overview of soft X-ray scientific instruments and X-ray optics at the free electron laser (FEL) of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, with selected first-commissioning results. The FEL exhibited a pulse energy of 200 μJ/pulse, a pulse width of <50 fs full width at half maximum, and an energy bandwidth of 0.44% at a photon energy of 850 eV. Monochromator resolving power of 10 500 was achieved. The estimated total time resolution between optical laser and X-ray pulses was <270 fs. A resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectrometer was set up; its commissioning results are also reported.
A compact dispersive refocusing Rowland circle X-ray emission spectrometer for laboratory, synchrotron, and XFEL applications

DOE PAGES

Holden, William M.; Hoidn, Oliver R.; Ditter, Alexander S.; ...

2017-07-27

X-ray emission spectroscopy is emerging as an important complement to x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, providing a characterization of the occupied electronic density of states local to the species of interest. Here, we present details of the design and performance of a compact x-ray emission spectrometer that uses a dispersive refocusing Rowland (DRR) circle geometry to achieve excellent performance for the 2-2.5 keV range, i.e., especially for the K-edge emission from sulfur and phosphorous. The DRR approach allows high energy resolution even for unfocused x-ray sources. This property enables high count rates in laboratory studies, approaching those of insertion-device beamlinesmore » at third-generation synchrotrons, despite use of only a low-powered, conventional x-ray tube. The spectrometer, whose overall scale is set by use of a 10-cm diameter Rowland circle and a new small-pixel complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor x-ray camera, is easily portable to synchrotron or x-ray free electron laser beamlines. Photometrics from measurements at the Advanced Light Source show excellent overall instrumental efficiency. In addition, the compact size of this instrument lends itself to future multiplexing to gain large factors in net collection efficiency or its implementation in controlled gas gloveboxes either in the lab or in an endstation.« less
Automated analysis of hot spot X-ray images at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, S. F.; Izumi, N.; Glenn, S.; Tommasini, R.; Benedetti, L. R.; Ma, T.; Pak, A.; Kyrala, G. A.; Springer, P.; Bradley, D. K.; Town, R. P. J.

2016-11-01

At the National Ignition Facility, the symmetry of the hot spot of imploding capsules is diagnosed by imaging the emitted x-rays using gated cameras and image plates. The symmetry of an implosion is an important factor in the yield generated from the resulting fusion process. The x-ray images are analyzed by decomposing the image intensity contours into Fourier and Legendre modes. This paper focuses on the additional protocols for the time-integrated shape analysis from image plates. For implosions with temperatures above ˜4 keV, the hard x-ray background can be utilized to infer the temperature of the hot spot.
Automated analysis of hot spot X-ray images at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Khan, S. F.; Izumi, N.; Glenn, S.; ...

2016-09-02

At the National Ignition Facility, the symmetry of the hot spot of imploding capsules is diagnosed by imaging the emitted x-rays using gated cameras and image plates. The symmetry of an implosion is an important factor in the yield generated from the resulting fusion process. The x-ray images are analyzed by decomposing the image intensity contours into Fourier and Legendre modes. This paper focuses on the additional protocols for the time-integrated shape analysis from image plates. Here, for implosions with temperatures above ~4keV, the hard x-ray background can be utilized to infer the temperature of the hot spot.
Automated analysis of hot spot X-ray images at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khan, S. F., E-mail: khan9@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Glenn, S.

At the National Ignition Facility, the symmetry of the hot spot of imploding capsules is diagnosed by imaging the emitted x-rays using gated cameras and image plates. The symmetry of an implosion is an important factor in the yield generated from the resulting fusion process. The x-ray images are analyzed by decomposing the image intensity contours into Fourier and Legendre modes. This paper focuses on the additional protocols for the time-integrated shape analysis from image plates. For implosions with temperatures above ∼4 keV, the hard x-ray background can be utilized to infer the temperature of the hot spot.
Automated analysis of hot spot X-ray images at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Khan, S F; Izumi, N; Glenn, S; Tommasini, R; Benedetti, L R; Ma, T; Pak, A; Kyrala, G A; Springer, P; Bradley, D K; Town, R P J

2016-11-01

At the National Ignition Facility, the symmetry of the hot spot of imploding capsules is diagnosed by imaging the emitted x-rays using gated cameras and image plates. The symmetry of an implosion is an important factor in the yield generated from the resulting fusion process. The x-ray images are analyzed by decomposing the image intensity contours into Fourier and Legendre modes. This paper focuses on the additional protocols for the time-integrated shape analysis from image plates. For implosions with temperatures above ∼4 keV, the hard x-ray background can be utilized to infer the temperature of the hot spot.
How DARHT Works - the World's Most Powerful X-ray Machine

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-01

The Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory is an essential scientific tool that supports Stockpile Stewardship at the Laboratory. The World's most powerful x-ray machine, it's used to take high-speed images of mock nuclear devices - data that is used to confirm and modify advanced computer codes in assuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
Frontiers of X-ray research at the Advanced Photon Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dehmer, J.J.

1995-12-31

With providential timing, the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory has begun to produce x-rays during the centennial year of Wilhelm Rongtgen`s discovery of a {open_quotes}new kind of rays.{close_quotes} When complete, this third-generation, 7-GeV positron storage ring will produce nearly one hundred intense x-ray beams, with a major emphasis on the laser-like (highly collimated, locally coherent) beams from undulator sources. This talk will provide an overview of (1) the important properties of the synchrotron radiation to be produced by the APS, (2) the major classes of experimental approaches that use x-rays, and (3) some speculation on the impactsmore » of the APS on the materials, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences.« less
The Viking X ray fluorescence experiment - Sampling strategies and laboratory simulations. [Mars soil sampling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baird, A. K.; Castro, A. J.; Clark, B. C.; Toulmin, P., III; Rose, H., Jr.; Keil, K.; Gooding, J. L.

1977-01-01

Ten samples of Mars regolith material (six on Viking Lander 1 and four on Viking Lander 2) have been delivered to the X ray fluorescence spectrometers as of March 31, 1977. An additional six samples at least are planned for acquisition in the remaining Extended Mission (to January 1979) for each lander. All samples acquired are Martian fines from the near surface (less than 6-cm depth) of the landing sites except the latest on Viking Lander 1, which is fine material from the bottom of a trench dug to a depth of 25 cm. Several attempts on each lander to acquire fresh rock material (in pebble sizes) for analysis have yielded only cemented surface crustal material (duricrust). Laboratory simulation and experimentation are required both for mission planning of sampling and for interpretation of data returned from Mars. This paper is concerned with the rationale for sample site selections, surface sampler operations, and the supportive laboratory studies needed to interpret X ray results from Mars.
Non-destructive mapping of grain orientations in 3D by laboratory X-ray microscopy

PubMed Central

McDonald, S. A.; Reischig, P.; Holzner, C.; Lauridsen, E. M.; Withers, P. J.; Merkle, A. P.; Feser, M.

2015-01-01

The ability to characterise crystallographic microstructure, non-destructively and in three-dimensions, is a powerful tool for understanding many aspects related to damage and deformation mechanisms in polycrystalline materials. To this end, the technique of X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) using monochromatic synchrotron and polychromatic laboratory X-ray sources has been shown to be capable of mapping crystal grains and their orientations non-destructively in 3D. Here we describe a novel laboratory-based X-ray DCT modality (LabDCT), enabling the wider accessibility of the DCT technique for routine use and in-depth studies of, for example, temporal changes in crystallographic grain structure non-destructively over time through ‘4D’ in situ time-lapse studies. The capability of the technique is demonstrated by studying a titanium alloy (Ti-β21S) sample. In the current implementation the smallest grains that can be reliably detected are around 40 μm. The individual grain locations and orientations are reconstructed using the LabDCT method and the results are validated against independent measurements from phase contrast tomography and electron backscatter diffraction respectively. Application of the technique promises to provide important insights related to the roles of recrystallization and grain growth on materials properties as well as supporting 3D polycrystalline modelling of materials performance. PMID:26494523
X-ray transport and radiation response assessment (XTRRA) experiments at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Fournier, K B; Brown, C G; Yeoman, M F; Fisher, J H; Seiler, S W; Hinshelwood, D; Compton, S; Holdener, F R; Kemp, G E; Newlander, C D; Gilliam, R P; Froula, N; Lilly, M; Davis, J F; Lerch, Maj A; Blue, B E

2016-11-01

Our team has developed an experimental platform to evaluate the x-ray-generated stress and impulse in materials. Experimental activities include x-ray source development, design of the sample mounting hardware and sensors interfaced to the National Ignition Facility's diagnostics insertion system, and system integration into the facility. This paper focuses on the X-ray Transport and Radiation Response Assessment (XTRRA) test cassettes built for these experiments. The test cassette is designed to position six samples at three predetermined distances from the source, each known to within ±1% accuracy. Built-in calorimeters give in situ measurements of the x-ray environment along the sample lines of sight. The measured accuracy of sample responses as well as planned modifications to the XTRRA cassette is discussed.
X-ray penumbral imaging diagnostic developments at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, B.; Abu-Shawareb, H.; Alexander, N.; Ayers, J.; Bailey, C. G.; Bell, P.; Benedetti, L. R.; Bradley, D.; Collins, G.; Divol, L.; Döppner, T.; Felker, S.; Field, J.; Forsman, A.; Galbraith, J. D.; Hardy, C. M.; Hilsabeck, T.; Izumi, N.; Jarrot, C.; Kilkenny, J.; Kramer, S.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacPhee, A.; Masters, N.; Nagel, S. R.; Pak, A.; Patel, P.; Pickworth, L. A.; Ralph, J. E.; Reed, C.; Rygg, J. R.; Thorn, D. B.

2017-08-01

X-ray penumbral imaging has been successfully fielded on a variety of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We have demonstrated sub-5 μm resolution imaging of stagnated plasma cores (hot spots) at x-ray energies from 6 to 30 keV. These measurements are crucial for improving our understanding of the hot deuterium-tritium fuel assembly, which can be affected by various mechanisms, including complex 3-D perturbations caused by the support tent, fill tube or capsule surface roughness. Here we present the progress on several approaches to improve x-ray penumbral imaging experiments on the NIF. We will discuss experimental setups that include penumbral imaging from multiple lines-of-sight, target mounted penumbral apertures and variably filtered penumbral images. Such setups will improve the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial imaging resolution, with the goal of enabling spatially resolved measurements of the hot spot electron temperature and material mix in ICF implosions.
Active x-ray optics for Generation-X, the next high resolution x-ray observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elvis, Martin; Brissenden, R. J.; Fabbiano, G.; Schwartz, D. A.; Reid, P.; Podgorski, W.; Eisenhower, M.; Juda, M.; Phillips, J.; Cohen, L.; Wolk, S.

2006-06-01

X-rays provide one of the few bands through which we can study the epoch of reionization, when the first galaxies, black holes and stars were born. To reach the sensitivity required to image these first discrete objects in the universe needs a major advance in X-ray optics. Generation-X (Gen-X) is currently the only X-ray astronomy mission concept that addresses this goal. Gen-X aims to improve substantially on the Chandra angular resolution and to do so with substantially larger effective area. These two goals can only be met if a mirror technology can be developed that yields high angular resolution at much lower mass/unit area than the Chandra optics, matching that of Constellation-X (Con-X). We describe an approach to this goal based on active X-ray optics that correct the mid-frequency departures from an ideal Wolter optic on-orbit. We concentrate on the problems of sensing figure errors, calculating the corrections required, and applying those corrections. The time needed to make this in-flight calibration is reasonable. A laboratory version of these optics has already been developed by others and is successfully operating at synchrotron light sources. With only a moderate investment in these optics the goals of Gen-X resolution can be realized.

The Ferrara hard X-ray facility for testing/calibrating hard X-ray focusing telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loffredo, Gianluca; Frontera, Filippo; Pellicciotta, Damiano; Pisa, Alessandro; Carassiti, Vito; Chiozzi, Stefano; Evangelisti, Federico; Landi, Luca; Melchiorri, Michele; Squerzanti, Stefano

2005-12-01

We will report on the current configuration of the X-ray facility of the University of Ferrara recently used to perform reflectivity tests of mosaic crystals and to calibrate the experiment JEM X aboard Integral. The facility is now located in the technological campus of the University of Ferrara in a new building (named LARIX laboratory= LARge Italian X-ray facility) that includes a tunnel 100 m long with, on the sides, two large experimental rooms. The facility is being improved for determining the optical axis of mosaic crystals in Laue configuration, for calibrating Laue lenses and hard X-ray mirror prototypes.
Biological soft X-ray tomography on beamline 2.1 at the Advanced Light Source.

PubMed

Le Gros, Mark A; McDermott, Gerry; Cinquin, Bertrand P; Smith, Elizabeth A; Do, Myan; Chao, Weilun L; Naulleau, Patrick P; Larabell, Carolyn A

2014-11-01

Beamline 2.1 (XM-2) is a transmission soft X-ray microscope in sector 2 of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. XM-2 was designed, built and is now operated by the National Center for X-ray Tomography as a National Institutes of Health Biomedical Technology Research Resource. XM-2 is equipped with a cryogenic rotation stage to enable tomographic data collection from cryo-preserved cells, including large mammalian cells. During data collection the specimen is illuminated with `water window' X-rays (284-543 eV). Illuminating photons are attenuated an order of magnitude more strongly by biomolecules than by water. Consequently, differences in molecular composition generate quantitative contrast in images of the specimen. Soft X-ray tomography is an information-rich three-dimensional imaging method that can be applied either as a standalone technique or as a component modality in correlative imaging studies.
X-ray diffraction diagnostic design for the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Maryum F.; House, Allen; Smith, R. F.; Ayers, Jay; Lamb, Zachary S.; Swift, David W.

2013-09-01

This paper describes the design considerations for Target Diffraction In-Situ (TARDIS), an x-ray diffraction diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility. A crystal sample is ramp-compressed to peak pressures between 10 and 30 Mbar and, during a pressure hold period, is probed with quasi-monochromatic x-rays emanating from a backlighter source foil. The crystal spectrography diffraction lines are recorded onto image plates. The crystal sample, filter, and image plates are packaged into one assembly, allowing for accurate and repeatable target to image plate registration. Unconverted laser light impinges upon the device, generating debris, the effects of which have been mitigated. Dimpled blast shields, high strength steel alloy, and high-z tungsten are used to shield and protect the image plates. A tapered opening was designed to provide adequate thickness of shielding materials without blocking the drive beams or x-ray source from reaching the crystal target. The high strength steel unit serves as a mount for the crystal target and x-ray source foil. A tungsten body contains the imaging components. Inside this sub-assembly, there are three image plates: a 160 degree field of view curved plate directly opposite the target opening and two flat plates for the top and bottom. A polycarbonate frame, coated with the appropriate filter material and embedded with registration features for image plate location, is inserted into the diagnostic body. The target assembly is metrologized and then the diagnostic assembly is attached.
High pressure and high temperature in situ X-ray diffraction studies in the Paris-Edinburgh cell using a laboratory X-ray source†

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toulemonde, Pierre; Goujon, Céline; Laversenne, Laetitia; Bordet, Pierre; Bruyère, Rémy; Legendre, Murielle; Leynaud, Olivier; Prat, Alain; Mezouar, Mohamed

2014-04-01

We have developed a new laboratory experimental set-up to study in situ the pressure-temperature phase diagram of a given pure element or compound, its associated phase transitions, or the chemical reactions involved at high pressure and high temperature (HP-HT) between different solids and liquids. This new tool allows laboratory studies before conducting further detailed experiments using more brilliant synchrotron X-ray sources or before kinetic studies. This device uses the diffraction of X-rays produced by a quasi-monochromatic micro-beam source operating at the silver radiation (λ(Ag)Kα 1, 2≈0.56 Å). The experimental set-up is based on a VX Paris-Edinburgh cell equipped with tungsten carbide or sintered diamond anvils and uses standard B-epoxy 5 or 7 mm gaskets. The diffracted signal coming from the compressed (and heated) sample is collected on an image plate. The pressure and temperature calibrations were performed by diffraction, using conventional calibrants (BN, NaCl and MgO) for determination of the pressure, and by crossing isochores of BN, NaCl, Cu or Au for the determination of the temperature. The first examples of studies performed with this new laboratory set-up are presented in the article: determination of the melting point of germanium and magnesium under HP-HT, synthesis of MgB2 or C-diamond and partial study of the P, T phase diagram of MgH2.
Rapid, absolute calibration of x-ray filters employed by laser-produced plasma diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, G. V.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Emig, J.

2008-10-15

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is being used to absolutely calibrate the transmission efficiency of x-ray filters employed by diodes and spectrometers used to diagnose laser-produced plasmas. EBIT emits strong, discrete monoenergetic lines at appropriately chosen x-ray energies. X rays are detected using the high resolution EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer (ECS), developed for LLNL at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. X-ray filter transmission efficiency is determined by dividing the x-ray counts detected when the filter is in the line of sight by those detected when out of the line of sight. Verification ofmore » filter thickness can be completed in only a few hours, and absolute efficiencies can be calibrated in a single day over a broad range from about 0.1 to 15 keV. The EBIT calibration lab has been used to field diagnostics (e.g., the OZSPEC instrument) with fully calibrated x-ray filters at the OMEGA laser. Extensions to use the capability for calibrating filter transmission for the DANTE instrument on the National Ignition Facility are discussed.« less
X-ray transport and radiation response assessment (XTRRA) experiments at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K. B., E-mail: fournier2@llnl.gov; Brown, C. G.; Yeoman, M. F.

2016-11-15

Our team has developed an experimental platform to evaluate the x-ray-generated stress and impulse in materials. Experimental activities include x-ray source development, design of the sample mounting hardware and sensors interfaced to the National Ignition Facility’s diagnostics insertion system, and system integration into the facility. This paper focuses on the X-ray Transport and Radiation Response Assessment (XTRRA) test cassettes built for these experiments. The test cassette is designed to position six samples at three predetermined distances from the source, each known to within ±1% accuracy. Built-in calorimeters give in situ measurements of the x-ray environment along the sample lines ofmore » sight. The measured accuracy of sample responses as well as planned modifications to the XTRRA cassette is discussed.« less
Spectral Diagnostics of Galactic and Stellar X-Ray Emission from Charge Exchange Recombination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wargelin, B.

2002-01-01

The proposed research uses the electron beam ion trap at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to study X-ray emission from charge-exchange recombination of highly charged ions with neutral gases. The resulting data fill a void in existing experimental and theoretical understanding of this atomic physics process, and are needed to explain all or part of the observed X-ray emission from the soft X-ray background, stellar winds, the Galactic Center, supernova ejecta, and photoionized nebulae. Progress made during the first year of the grant is described, as is work planned for the second year.
Scientists Take First X-Ray Portraits of Living Cyanobacteria at the LCLS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2015-02-11

Researchers from Uppsala University working at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have captured the first X-ray portraits of living bacteria, detecting signals from features as small as 4 nanometers, or 4 billionths of a meter.
Scientists Take First X-Ray Portraits of Living Cyanobacteria at the LCLS

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-26

Researchers from Uppsala University working at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have captured the first X-ray portraits of living bacteria, detecting signals from features as small as 4 nanometers, or 4 billionths of a meter.
Understanding the X-ray spectrum of anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma-ray repeaters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yan-Jun; Dai, Shi; Li, Zhao-Sheng; Liu, Yuan; Tong, Hao; Xu, Ren-Xin

2015-04-01

Hard X-rays above 10 keV are detected from several anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), and different models have been proposed to explain the physical origin within the frame of either a magnetar model or a fallback disk system. Using data from Suzaku and INTEGRAL, we study the soft and hard X-ray spectra of four AXPs/SGRs: 1RXS J170849-400910, 1E 1547.0-5408, SGR 1806-20 and SGR 0501+4516. It is found that the spectra could be well reproduced by the bulk-motion Comptonization (BMC) process as was first suggested by Trümper et al., showing that the accretion scenario could be compatible with X-ray emission from AXPs/SGRs. Simulated results from the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope using the BMC model show that the spectra would have discrepancies from the power-law, especially the cutoff at ˜200 keV. Thus future observations will allow researchers to distinguish different models of the hard X-ray emission and will help us understand the nature of AXPs/SGRs. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Development of grating-based x-ray Talbot interferometry at the advanced photon source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marathe, Shashidhara; Xiao Xianghui; Wojcik, Michael J.

2012-07-31

We report on the ongoing effort to develop hard x-ray Talbot interferometry at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory, USA. We describe the design of the interferometer and preliminary results obtained at 25 keV using a feather and a phantom sample lithographically fabricated of gold. We mention the future developmental goals and applications of this technique as a metrology tool for x-ray optics and beam wavefront characterization.
Spectral Diagnostics of Galactic and Stellar X-Ray Emission from Charge Exchange Recombination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wargelin, B.

2003-01-01

The proposed research uses the electron beam ion trap at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to study the X-ray emission from charge-exchange recombination of highly charged ions with neutral gases. The resulting data fill a void in the existing experimental and theoretical data and are needed to explain all or part of the observed X-ray emission from the Galactic Ridge, solar and stellar winds, the Galactic Center, supernova ejecta, and photoionized nebulae.
Bright x-ray stainless steel K-shell source development at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

May, M. J.; Fournier, K. B.; Colvin, J. D.; ...

2015-06-01

High x-ray conversion efficiency (XRCE) K-shell sources are being developed for high energy density experiments for use as backlighters and for the testing of materials exposed to high x-ray fluxes and fluences. Recently, sources with high XRCE in the K-shell x-ray energy range of iron and nickel were investigated at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The x-ray conversion efficiency in the 5–9 keV spectral range was determined to be 6.8% ± 0.3%. These targets were 4.1 mm diameter, 4 mm tall hollow epoxy tubes having a 50 μm thick wall supporting a tube of 3 to 3.5 μm thick stainlessmore » steel. The NIF laser deposited ~460 kJ of 3ω light into the target in a 140 TW, 3.3 ns square pulse. The absolute x-ray emission of the source was measured by two calibrated Dante x-ray spectrometers. In conclusion, time resolved images filtered for the Fe K-shell were recorded to follow the heating of the target. Time integrated high-resolution spectra were recorded in the K-shell range« less
Bright x-ray stainless steel K-shell source development at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, M. J.; Fournier, K. B.; Colvin, J. D.; Barrios, M. A.; Dewald, E. L.; Hohenberger, M.; Moody, J.; Patterson, J. R.; Schneider, M.; Widmann, K.; Regan, S. P.

2015-06-01

High x-ray conversion efficiency (XRCE) K-shell sources are being developed for high energy density experiments for use as backlighters and for the testing of materials exposed to high x-ray fluxes and fluences. Recently, sources with high XRCE in the K-shell x-ray energy range of iron and nickel were investigated at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The x-ray conversion efficiency in the 5-9 keV spectral range was determined to be 6.8% ± 0.3%. These targets were 4.1 mm diameter, 4 mm tall hollow epoxy tubes having a 50 μm thick wall supporting a tube of 3 to 3.5 μm thick stainless steel. The NIF laser deposited ˜460 kJ of 3ω light into the target in a 140 TW, 3.3 ns square pulse. The absolute x-ray emission of the source was measured by two calibrated Dante x-ray spectrometers. Time resolved images filtered for the Fe K-shell were recorded to follow the heating of the target. Time integrated high-resolution spectra were recorded in the K-shell range.
Alternative designs for space x-ray telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, R.; Pína, L.; Maršíková, Veronika; Černá, Daniela; Inneman, A.; Tichý, V.

2017-11-01

The X-ray optics is a key element of space X-ray telescopes, as well as other X-ray imaging instruments. The grazing incidence X-ray lenses represent the important class of X-ray optics. Most of grazing incidence (reflective) X-ray imaging systems used in astronomy but also in other (laboratory) applications are based on the Wolter 1 (or modified) arrangement. But there are also other designs and configurations proposed, used and considered for future applications both in space and in laboratory. The Kirkpatrick-Baez (K-B) lenses as well as various types of Lobster-Eye optics and MCP/Micropore optics serve as an example. Analogously to Wolter lenses, the X-rays are mostly reflected twice in these systems to create focal images. Various future projects in X-ray astronomy and astrophysics will require large segments with multiple thin shells or foils. The large Kirkpatrick-Baez modules, as well as the large Lobster-Eye X-ray telescope modules in Schmidt arrangement may serve as examples. All related space projects will require high quality and light segmented shells (bent or flat foils) with high X-ray reflectivity and excellent mechanical stability. The Multi Foil Optics (MFO) approach represent a promising alternative for both LE and K-B X-ray optical modules. Several types of reflecting substrates may be considered for these applications, with emphasis on thin float glass sheets and, more recently, high quality silicon wafers. This confirms the importance of non-Wolter X-ray optics designs for the future. The alternative designs require novel reflective substrates which are also discussed in the paper.
Single-crystal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography at beamline X26-C of the NSLS

PubMed Central

Stoner-Ma, Deborah; Skinner, John M.; Schneider, Dieter K.; Cowan, Matt; Sweet, Robert M.; Orville, Allen M.

2011-01-01

Three-dimensional structures derived from X-ray diffraction of protein crystals provide a wealth of information. Features and interactions important for the function of macromolecules can be deduced and catalytic mechanisms postulated. Still, many questions can remain, for example regarding metal oxidation states and the interpretation of ‘mystery density’, i.e. ambiguous or unknown features within the electron density maps, especially at ∼2 Å resolutions typical of most macromolecular structures. Beamline X26-C at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), provides researchers with the opportunity to not only determine the atomic structure of their samples but also to explore the electronic and vibrational characteristics of the sample before, during and after X-ray diffraction data collection. When samples are maintained under cryo-conditions, an opportunity to promote and follow photochemical reactions in situ as a function of X-ray exposure is also provided. Plans are in place to further expand the capabilities at beamline X26-C and to develop beamlines at NSLS-II, currently under construction at BNL, which will provide users access to a wide array of complementary spectroscopic methods in addition to high-quality X-ray diffraction data. PMID:21169688
Using absolute x-ray spectral measurements to infer stagnation conditions in ICF implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Pravesh; Benedetti, L. R.; Cerjan, C.; Clark, D. S.; Hurricane, O. A.; Izumi, N.; Jarrott, L. C.; Khan, S.; Kritcher, A. L.; Ma, T.; Macphee, A. G.; Landen, O.; Spears, B. K.; Springer, P. T.

2016-10-01

Measurements of the continuum x-ray spectrum emitted from the hot-spot of an ICF implosion can be used to infer a number thermodynamic properties at stagnation including temperature, pressure, and hot-spot mix. In deuterium-tritium (DT) layered implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) we field a number of x-ray diagnostics that provide spatial, temporal, and spectrally-resolved measurements of the radiated x-ray emission. We report on analysis of these measurements using a 1-D hot-spot model to infer thermodynamic properties at stagnation. We compare these to similar properties that can be derived from DT fusion neutron measurements. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Digital enhancement of X-rays for NDT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butterfield, R. L.

1980-01-01

Report is "cookbook" for digital processing of industrial X-rays. Computer techniques, previously used primarily in laboratory and developmental research, have been outlined and codified into step by step procedures for enhancing X-ray images. Those involved in nondestructive testing should find report valuable asset, particularly is visual inspection is method currently used to process X-ray images.
Systematic and Performance Tests of the Hard X-ray Polarimeter X-Calibur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endsley, Ryan; Beilicke, Matthias; Kislat, Fabian; Krawczynski, Henric; X-Calibur/InFOCuS

2015-01-01

X-ray polarimetry has great potential to reveal new astrophysical information about the emission processes of high energy sources such as black hole environments, X-ray binary systems, and active galactic nuclei. Here we present the results and conclusions of systematic and performance measurements of the hard X-ray polarimeter, X-Calibur. Designed to be flown on a balloon-borne X-ray telescope, X-Calibur will achieve unprecedented sensitivity and makes use of the fact that polarized X-rays preferentially Compton-scatter perpendicular to their E-field vector. Extensive laboratory measurements taken at Washington University and the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) indicate that X-Calibur combines a detection efficiency on the order of unity with a high modulation factor of µ ≈ 0.5 averaged over the whole detector assembly, and with values up to µ ≈ 0.7 for select subsections of the polarimeter. Additionally, we are able to suppress background flux by more than two orders of magnitude by utilizing an active shield and scintillator coincidence. Comparing laboratory data with Monte Carlo simulations of both polarized and unpolarized hard X-ray beams illustrate that we have an exceptional understanding of the detector response.
Biological soft X-ray tomography on beamline 2.1 at the Advanced Light Source

PubMed Central

Le Gros, Mark A.; McDermott, Gerry; Cinquin, Bertrand P.; Smith, Elizabeth A.; Do, Myan; Chao, Weilun L.; Naulleau, Patrick P.; Larabell, Carolyn A.

2014-01-01

Beamline 2.1 (XM-2) is a transmission soft X-ray microscope in sector 2 of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. XM-2 was designed, built and is now operated by the National Center for X-ray Tomography as a National Institutes of Health Biomedical Technology Research Resource. XM-2 is equipped with a cryogenic rotation stage to enable tomographic data collection from cryo-preserved cells, including large mammalian cells. During data collection the specimen is illuminated with ‘water window’ X-rays (284–543 eV). Illuminating photons are attenuated an order of magnitude more strongly by biomolecules than by water. Consequently, differences in molecular composition generate quantitative contrast in images of the specimen. Soft X-ray tomography is an information-rich three-dimensional imaging method that can be applied either as a standalone technique or as a component modality in correlative imaging studies. PMID:25343808

eHXI: A permanently installed, hard x-ray imager for the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Doppner, T.; Bachmann, B.; Albert, F.; ...

2016-06-14

We have designed and built a multi-pinhole imaging system for high energy x-rays (≥ 50 keV) that is permanently installed in the equatorial plane outside of the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). It records absolutely-calibrated, time-integrated x-ray images with the same line-of-sight as the multi-channel, spatially integrating hard x-ray detector FFLEX [McDonald et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75 (2004) 3753], having a side view of indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosion targets. The equatorial hard x-ray imager (eHXI) has recorded images on the majority of ICF implosion experiments since May 2011. Lastly, eHXI provides valuable information onmore » hot electron distribution in hohlraum experiments, target alignment, potential hohlraum drive asymmetries and serves as a long term reference for the FFLEX diagnostics.« less
Report of the workshop on transferring X-ray Lithography Synchrotron (XLS) technology to industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marcuse, W.

1987-01-01

This paper reports on plans to develop an x-ray synchrotron for use in lithography. The primary concern of the present paper is technology transfer from national laboratories to private industry. (JDH)
Myoanatomy of the velvet worm leg revealed by laboratory-based nanofocus X-ray source tomography.

PubMed

Müller, Mark; de Sena Oliveira, Ivo; Allner, Sebastian; Ferstl, Simone; Bidola, Pidassa; Mechlem, Korbinian; Fehringer, Andreas; Hehn, Lorenz; Dierolf, Martin; Achterhold, Klaus; Gleich, Bernhard; Hammel, Jörg U; Jahn, Henry; Mayer, Georg; Pfeiffer, Franz

2017-11-21

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a powerful noninvasive technique for investigating the inner structure of objects and organisms. However, the resolution of laboratory CT systems is typically limited to the micrometer range. In this paper, we present a table-top nanoCT system in conjunction with standard processing tools that is able to routinely reach resolutions down to 100 nm without using X-ray optics. We demonstrate its potential for biological investigations by imaging a walking appendage of Euperipatoides rowelli , a representative of Onychophora-an invertebrate group pivotal for understanding animal evolution. Comparative analyses proved that the nanoCT can depict the external morphology of the limb with an image quality similar to scanning electron microscopy, while simultaneously visualizing internal muscular structures at higher resolutions than confocal laser scanning microscopy. The obtained nanoCT data revealed hitherto unknown aspects of the onychophoran limb musculature, enabling the 3D reconstruction of individual muscle fibers, which was previously impossible using any laboratory-based imaging technique.
X-ray Studies Key to Nobel Prize Winning Work on Protein Receptors

ScienceCinema

Janet Smith; Robert Fischetti

2018-05-08

It was the advent of the first micro X-ray beam for structural biology at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory that enabled the research that earned the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and lays the groundwork for countless new pharmaceuticals.
X-ray Studies Key to Nobel Prize Winning Work on Protein Receptors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Janet Smith; Robert Fischetti

2013-02-04

It was the advent of the first micro X-ray beam for structural biology at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory that enabled the research that earned the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and lays the groundwork for countless new pharmaceuticals.
A high-speed two-frame, 1-2 ns gated X-ray CMOS imager used as a hohlraum diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility (invited).

PubMed

Chen, Hui; Palmer, N; Dayton, M; Carpenter, A; Schneider, M B; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Claus, L D; Fang, L; Hilsabeck, T; Hohenberger, M; Jones, O S; Kilkenny, J D; Kimmel, M W; Robertson, G; Rochau, G; Sanchez, M O; Stahoviak, J W; Trotter, D C; Porter, J L

2016-11-01

A novel x-ray imager, which takes time-resolved gated images along a single line-of-sight, has been successfully implemented at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This Gated Laser Entrance Hole diagnostic, G-LEH, incorporates a high-speed multi-frame CMOS x-ray imager developed by Sandia National Laboratories to upgrade the existing Static X-ray Imager diagnostic at NIF. The new diagnostic is capable of capturing two laser-entrance-hole images per shot on its 1024 × 448 pixels photo-detector array, with integration times as short as 1.6 ns per frame. Since its implementation on NIF, the G-LEH diagnostic has successfully acquired images from various experimental campaigns, providing critical new information for understanding the hohlraum performance in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments, such as the size of the laser entrance hole vs. time, the growth of the laser-heated gold plasma bubble, the change in brightness of inner beam spots due to time-varying cross beam energy transfer, and plasma instability growth near the hohlraum wall.
Bright x-ray stainless steel K-shell source development at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

May, M. J.; Fournier, K. B.; Colvin, J. D.

2015-06-15

High x-ray conversion efficiency (XRCE) K-shell sources are being developed for high energy density experiments for use as backlighters and for the testing of materials exposed to high x-ray fluxes and fluences. Recently, sources with high XRCE in the K-shell x-ray energy range of iron and nickel were investigated at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The x-ray conversion efficiency in the 5–9 keV spectral range was determined to be 6.8% ± 0.3%. These targets were 4.1 mm diameter, 4 mm tall hollow epoxy tubes having a 50 μm thick wall supporting a tube of 3 to 3.5 μm thick stainless steel. The NIF laser deposited ∼460 kJ ofmore » 3ω light into the target in a 140 TW, 3.3 ns square pulse. The absolute x-ray emission of the source was measured by two calibrated Dante x-ray spectrometers. Time resolved images filtered for the Fe K-shell were recorded to follow the heating of the target. Time integrated high-resolution spectra were recorded in the K-shell range.« less
Single shot near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy in the laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mantouvalou, I., E-mail: ioanna.mantouvalou@tu-berlin.de; Witte, K.; Martyanov, W.

With the help of adapted off-axis reflection zone plates, near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra at the C and N K-absorption edge have been recorded using a single 1.2 ns long soft X-ray pulse. The transmission experiments were performed with a laser-produced plasma source in the laboratory rendering time resolved measurements feasible independent on large scale facilities. A resolving power of E/ΔE ∼ 950 at the respective edges could be demonstrated. A comparison of single shot spectra with those collected with longer measuring time proves that all features of the used reference samples (silicon nitrate and polyimide) can be resolved in 1.2 ns.more » Hence, investigations of radiation sensitive biological specimen become possible due to the high efficiency of the optical elements enabling low dose experiments.« less
42 CFR 410.32 - Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory tests, and other diagnostic tests: Conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... in the 80000 series of the Current Procedural Terminology published by the American Medical... & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE (SMI) BENEFITS Medical and Other Health Services § 410.32 Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory...
42 CFR 410.32 - Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory tests, and other diagnostic tests: Conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Procedural Terminology published by the American Medical Association. (vii) Diagnostic tests performed by a... & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE (SMI) BENEFITS Medical and Other Health Services § 410.32 Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory...
42 CFR 410.32 - Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory tests, and other diagnostic tests: Conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Procedural Terminology published by the American Medical Association. (vii) Diagnostic tests performed by a... & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE (SMI) BENEFITS Medical and Other Health Services § 410.32 Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory...
42 CFR 410.32 - Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory tests, and other diagnostic tests: Conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Procedural Terminology published by the American Medical Association. (3) Levels of supervision. Except where... & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM SUPPLEMENTARY MEDICAL INSURANCE (SMI) BENEFITS Medical and Other Health Services § 410.32 Diagnostic x-ray tests, diagnostic laboratory...
A new gated x-ray detector for the Orion laser facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, David D.; Aragonez, Robert; Archuleta, Thomas; Fatherley, Valerie; Hsu, Albert; Jorgenson, Justin; Mares, Danielle; Oertel, John; Oades, Kevin; Kemshall, Paul; Thomas, Phillip; Young, Trevor; Pederson, Neal

2012-10-01

Gated X-Ray Detectors (GXD) are considered the work-horse target diagnostic of the laser based inertial confinement fusion (ICF) program. Recently, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has constructed three new GXDs for the Orion laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the United Kingdom. What sets these three new instruments apart from what has previously been constructed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is: improvements in detector head microwave transmission lines, solid state embedded hard drive and updated control software, and lighter air box design and other incremental mechanical improvements. In this paper we will present the latest GXD design enhancements and sample calibration data taken on the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory using the newly constructed instruments.
Soft x-ray measurements using photoconductive type-IIa and single-crystal chemical vapor deposited diamond detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, A. S.; Bentley, C. D.; Foster, J. M.

2008-10-15

Photoconductive detectors (PCDs) are routinely used alongside vacuum x-ray diodes (XRDs) to provide an alternative x-ray flux measurement at laser facilities such as HELEN at AWE Aldermaston, UK, and Omega at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. To evaluate diamond PCDs as an alternative to XRD arrays, calibration measurements made at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory are used to accurately calculate the x-ray flux from a laser-heated target. This is compared to a flux measurement using the Dante XRD diagnostic. Estimates indicate that the photoinduced conductivity from measurements made at Omega are too large, and calculationsmore » using the radiometric calibrations made at the NSLS agree with this hypothesis. High-purity, single-crystal, chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond samples are compared to natural type-IIa PCDs and show promising high resistivity effects, the corollary of which preliminary results show is a slower response time.« less
Hard x-ray phase contrastmicroscopy - techniques and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzner, Christian

In 1918, Einstein provided the first description of the nature of the refractive index for X-rays, showing that phase contrast effects are significant. A century later, most x-ray microscopy and nearly all medical imaging remains based on absorption contrast, even though phase contrast offers orders of magnitude improvements in contrast and reduced radiation exposure at multi-keV x-ray energies. The work presented is concerned with developing practical and quantitative methods of phase contrast for x-ray microscopy. A theoretical framework for imaging in phase contrast is put forward; this is used to obtain quantitative images in a scanning microscope using a segmented detector, and to correct for artifacts in a commercial phase contrast x-ray nano-tomography system. The principle of reciprocity between scanning and full-field microscopes is then used to arrive at a novel solution: Zernike contrast in a scanning microscope. These approaches are compared on a theoretical and experimental basis in direct connection with applications using multi-keV x-ray microscopes at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Phase contrast provides the best means to image mass and ultrastructure of light elements that mainly constitute biological matter, while stimulated x-ray fluorescence provides high sensitivity for studies of the distribution of heavier trace elements, such as metals. These approaches are combined in a complementary way to yield quantitative maps of elemental concentration from 2D images, with elements placed in their ultrastructural context. The combination of x-ray fluorescence and phase contrast poses an ideal match for routine, high resolution tomographic imaging of biological samples in the future. The presented techniques and demonstration experiments will help pave the way for this development.
Optical and X-ray rebrightening in NS X-ray Nova Aql X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meshcheryakov, A.; Bikmaev, I.; Irtuganov, E.; Sakhibullin, N.; Vlasyuk, V. V.; Spiridonova, O. I.; Khamitov, I.; Medvedev, P.; Pavlinsky, M. N.; Tsygankov, S. S.

2017-06-01

The current outburst in NS X-ray Nova Aql X-1 has started 28 May 2017, as it was reported earlier (see ATel#10441, #10450, #10452). During optical monitoring campaign of Aql X-1, performed at 1.5-m Russian-Turkish telescope (TUBITAK National Observatory) and 1-m SAO RAS optical telescope (Special Astrophysical Observatory) we report a substantial increase of optical brightness of Aql X-1 in the last few days.
X-Ray Structure determination of the Glycine Cleavage System Protein H of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using An Inverse Compton Synchrotron X-Ray Source

PubMed Central

Abendroth, Jan; McCormick, Michael S.; Edwards, Thomas E.; Staker, Bart; Loewen, Roderick; Gifford, Martin; Rifkin, Jeff; Mayer, Chad; Guo, Wenjin; Zhang, Yang; Myler, Peter; Kelley, Angela; Analau, Erwin; Hewitt, Stephen Nakazawa; Napuli, Alberto J.; Kuhn, Peter; Ruth, Ronald D.; Stewart, Lance J.

2010-01-01

Structural genomics discovery projects require ready access to both X-ray and NMR instrumentation which support the collection of experimental data needed to solve large numbers of novel protein structures. The most productive X-ray crystal structure determination laboratories make extensive frequent use of tunable synchrotron X-ray light to solve novel structures by anomalous diffraction methods. This requires that frozen cryo-protected crystals be shipped to large government-run synchrotron facilities for data collection. In an effort to eliminate the need to ship crystals for data collection, we have developed the first laboratory-scale synchrotron light source capable of performing many of the state-of-the-art synchrotron applications in X-ray science. This Compact Light Source is a first-in-class device that uses inverse Compton scattering to generate X-rays of sufficient flux, tunable wavelength and beam size to allow high-resolution X-ray diffraction data collection from protein crystals. We report on benchmarking tests of X-ray diffraction data collection with hen egg white lysozyme, and the successful high-resolution X-ray structure determination of the Glycine cleavage system protein H from Mycobacterium tuberculosis using diffraction data collected with the Compact Light Source X-ray beam. PMID:20364333
Demonstration of a 13 keV Kr K-shell X-Ray Source at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fournier, K. B.; May, M. J.; Colvin, J. D.; Barrios, M. A.; Patterson, J. R.; Regan, S. P.

2013-10-01

We report 3% conversion efficiency of laser energy into Kr K-shell (~13 keV) radiation, consistent with theoretical predictions. This is ~10 × greater than previous work. The emission was produced from a 4.1 mm diameter, 4 mm tall gas pipe target filled with 1.2 or 1.5 atm of Kr gas. 160 of the NIF laser beams deposited ~700 kJ of 3 ω light into the target in a ~140 TW, 5.0 ns duration square pulse. This laser configuration sufficiently heated the targets to optimize the K-shell x-ray emission. The Dante diagnostics measured ~5 TW into 4 π solid angle of >=12 keV x rays for ~4 ns, which includes both continuum emission and flux in the Kr Heα line at 13 keV. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. This work was supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under the intera- gency agreements 10027-1420 and 10027-6167.
X-Ray Measurements Of A Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wharton, C. J.; Seabury, E. H.; Chichester, D. L.; Caffrey, A. J.; Simpson, J.; Lemchak, M.

2011-06-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X rays are a normal byproduct from neutron generators, but depending on their intensity and energy, x rays can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum was measured with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60° between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and its x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric. A thin lead shield, 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) thick, reduced the 70-keV generator x rays to negligible levels.
X-ray Diffraction Crystal Calibration and Characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michael J. Haugh; Richard Stewart; Nathan Kugland

2009-06-05

National Security Technologies’ X-ray Laboratory is comprised of a multi-anode Manson type source and a Henke type source that incorporates a dual goniometer and XYZ translation stage. The first goniometer is used to isolate a particular spectral band. The Manson operates up to 10 kV and the Henke up to 20 kV. The Henke rotation stages and translation stages are automated. Procedures have been developed to characterize and calibrate various NIF diagnostics and their components. The diagnostics include X-ray cameras, gated imagers, streak cameras, and other X-ray imaging systems. Components that have been analyzed include filters, filter arrays, grazing incidencemore » mirrors, and various crystals, both flat and curved. Recent efforts on the Henke system are aimed at characterizing and calibrating imaging crystals and curved crystals used as the major component of an X-ray spectrometer. The presentation will concentrate on these results. The work has been done at energies ranging from 3 keV to 16 keV. The major goal was to evaluate the performance quality of the crystal for its intended application. For the imaging crystals we measured the laser beam reflection offset from the X-ray beam and the reflectivity curves. For the curved spectrometer crystal, which was a natural crystal, resolving power was critical. It was first necessary to find sources of crystals that had sufficiently narrow reflectivity curves. It was then necessary to determine which crystals retained their resolving power after being thinned and glued to a curved substrate.« less

Hard X-Rays can BE Used to Visualize Cochlear Soft Tissue Displacements in a Closed Cochlea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter, C.-P.; Fishman, A.; Fan, L.; Shintani, S.; Rau, C.

2009-02-01

Experiments were made at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory. The APS is a synchrotron radiation source of the third generation, for which the particular characteristic is the highly coherent X-ray radiation. X-rays are generated with an undulator, inserted in a straight section of the storage ring. Images taken with hard X-rays at full field. A video flow algorithm by Lucas and Kanade was used to determine and quantify cochlear soft tissue displacements. The results show that displacements as low as 100 nm could be visualized.
X Persei - correlation between H-alpha and X-ray variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamanov, R.; Stoyanov, K. A.; Petrov, N.; Nikolov, Y.; Marchev, D.; Wolter, U.

2018-03-01

We performed H-alpha spectroscopic observations of the Be/X-ray binary X Per, optical counterpart of the slow X-ray pulsar 4U 0352+30, using the 2.0m telescope of the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgaria and the 1.2m TIGRE telescope located in Mexico.
Motion control system of MAX IV Laboratory soft x-ray beamlines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sjöblom, Peter, E-mail: peter.sjoblom@maxlab.lu.se; Lindberg, Mirjam, E-mail: mirjam.lindberg@maxlab.lu.se; Forsberg, Johan, E-mail: johan.forsberg@maxlab.lu.se

2016-07-27

At the MAX IV Laboratory, five new soft x-ray beamlines are under development. The first is Species and it will be used to develop and set the standard of the control system, which will be common across the facility. All motion axes at MAX IV will be motorized using stepper motors steered by the IcePAP motion controller and a mixture of absolute and incremental encoders following a predefined coordinate system. The control system software is built in Tango and uses the Python-based Sardana framework. The user controls the entire beamline through a synoptic overview and Sardana is used to runmore » the scans.« less
X-ray diffraction results from Mars Science Laboratory: mineralogy of Rocknest at Gale crater.

PubMed

Bish, D L; Blake, D F; Vaniman, D T; Chipera, S J; Morris, R V; Ming, D W; Treiman, A H; Sarrazin, P; Morrison, S M; Downs, R T; Achilles, C N; Yen, A S; Bristow, T F; Crisp, J A; Morookian, J M; Farmer, J D; Rampe, E B; Stolper, E M; Spanovich, N

2013-09-27

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity scooped samples of soil from the Rocknest aeolian bedform in Gale crater. Analysis of the soil with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument revealed plagioclase (~An57), forsteritic olivine (~Fo62), augite, and pigeonite, with minor K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, anhydrite, hematite, and ilmenite. The minor phases are present at, or near, detection limits. The soil also contains 27 ± 14 weight percent x-ray amorphous material, likely containing multiple Fe(3+)- and volatile-bearing phases, including possibly a substance resembling hisingerite. The crystalline component is similar to the normative mineralogy of certain basaltic rocks from Gusev crater on Mars and of martian basaltic meteorites. The amorphous component is similar to that found on Earth in places such as soils on the Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii.
Facilities and Techniques for X-Ray Diagnostic Calibration in the 100-eV to 100-keV Energy Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaines, J. L.; Wittmayer, F. J.

1986-08-01

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been a pioneer in the field of x-ray diagnostic calibration for more than 20 years. We have built steady state x-ray sources capable of supplying fluorescent lines of high spectral purity in the 100-eV to 100-keV energy range, and these sources have been used in the calibration of x-ray detectors, mirrors, crystals, filters, and film. This paper discusses our calibration philosophy and techniques, and describes some of our x-ray sources. Examples of actual calibration data are presented as well.
A laboratory 8 keV transmission full-field x-ray microscope with a polycapillary as condenser for bright and dark field imaging.

PubMed

Baumbach, S; Kanngießer, B; Malzer, W; Stiel, H; Wilhein, T

2015-08-01

This article introduces a laboratory setup of a transmission full-field x-ray microscope at 8 keV photon energy. The microscope operates in bright and dark field imaging mode with a maximum field of view of 50 μm. Since the illumination geometry determines whether the sample is illuminated homogeneously and moreover, if different imaging methods can be applied, the condenser optic is one of the most significant parts. With a new type of x-ray condenser, a polycapillary optic, we realized bright field imaging and for the first time dark field imaging at 8 keV photon energy in a laboratory setup. A detector limited spatial resolution of 210 nm is measured on x-ray images of Siemens star test patterns.
Non Destructive 3D X-Ray Imaging of Nano Structures & Composites at Sub-30 NM Resolution, With a Novel Lab Based X-Ray Microscope

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

NON DESTRUCTIVE 3D X-RAY IMAGING OF NANO STRUCTURES & COMPOSITES AT SUB-30 NM RESOLUTION, WITH A NOVEL LAB BASED X- RAY MICROSCOPE S H Lau...article we describe a 3D x-ray microscope based on a laboratory x-ray source operating at 2.7, 5.4 or 8.0 keV hard x-ray energies. X-ray computed...tomography (XCT) is used to obtain detailed 3D structural information inside optically opaque materials with sub-30 nm resolution. Applications include
Capillary Optics Based X-Ray Micro-Imaging Elemental Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampai, D.; Dabagov, S. B.; Cappuccio, G.; Longoni, A.; Frizzi, T.; Cibin, G.

2010-04-01

A rapidly developed during the last few years micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μXRF) is a promising multi-elemental technique for non-destructive analysis. Typically it is rather hard to perform laboratory μXRF analysis because of the difficulty of producing an original small-size X-ray beam as well as its focusing. Recently developed for X-ray beam focusing polycapillary optics offers laboratory X-ray micro probes. The combination of polycapillary lens and fine-focused micro X-ray tube can provide high intensity radiation flux on a sample that is necessary in order to perform the elemental analysis. In comparison to a pinhole, an optimized "X-ray source-op tics" system can result in radiation density gain of more than 3 orders by the value. The most advanced way to get that result is to use the confocal configuration based on two X-ray lenses, one for the fluorescence excitation and the other for the detection of secondary emission from a sample studied. In case of X-ray capillary microfocusing a μXRF instrument designed in the confocal scheme allows us to obtain a 3D elemental mapping. In this work we will show preliminary results obtained with our prototype, a portable X-ray microscope for X-ray both imaging and fluorescence analysis; it enables μXRF elemental mapping simultaneously with X-ray imaging. A prototype of compact XRF spectrometer with a spatial resolution less than 100 μm has been designed.
A final report to the Laboratory Directed Research and Development committee on Project 93-ERP-075: ``X-ray laser propagation and coherence: Diagnosing fast-evolving, high-density laser plasmas using X-ray lasers``

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wan, A.S.; Cauble, R.; Da Silva, L.B.

1996-02-01

This report summarizes the major accomplishments of this three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Exploratory Research Project (ERP) entitled ``X-ray Laser Propagation and Coherence: Diagnosing Fast-evolving, High-density Laser Plasmas Using X-ray Lasers,`` tracking code 93-ERP-075. The most significant accomplishment of this project is the demonstration of a new laser plasma diagnostic: a soft x-ray Mach-Zehnder interferometer using a neonlike yttrium x-ray laser at 155 {angstrom} as the probe source. Detailed comparisons of absolute two-dimensional electron density profiles obtained from soft x-ray laser interferograms and profiles obtained from radiation hydrodynamics codes, such as LASNEX, will allow us to validate andmore » benchmark complex numerical models used to study the physics of laser-plasma interactions. Thus the development of soft x-ray interferometry technique provides a mechanism to probe the deficiencies of the numerical models and is an important tool for, the high-energy density physics and science-based stockpile stewardship programs. The authors have used the soft x-ray interferometer to study a number of high-density, fast evolving, laser-produced plasmas, such as the dynamics of exploding foils and colliding plasmas. They are pursuing the application of the soft x-ray interferometer to study ICF-relevant plasmas, such as capsules and hohlraums, on the Nova 10-beam facility. They have also studied the development of enhanced-coherence, shorter-pulse-duration, and high-brightness x-ray lasers. The utilization of improved x-ray laser sources can ultimately enable them to obtain three-dimensional holographic images of laser-produced plasmas.« less
A test cassette for x-ray-exposure experiments at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K. B.; Celeste, J.; Rekow, V.

2010-07-01

We present the design and operation of a test cassette for exposure of samples to radiation environments at the National Ignition Facility. The cassette provides options for square and round samples and exposure areas; the cassette provides for multiple levels of filtration on a single sample, which allows dynamic range in experiments. The samples had normal lines of sight to the x-ray source in order to have uniform x-ray illumination. The incident x-radiation onto the samples was determined by the choice of filter thicknesses and materials. The samples were held at precise locations, accurate to within a few hundred microns,more » in the target chamber in order to have a known fluence incident. In the cassette, the samples were held in place in such a way that a minimal “line contact” allows them to have the maximal mechanical response to the x-ray load. We present postshot images of the debris found on films used for filters, and pre- and postexposure specimens.« less
A test cassette for x-ray-exposure experiments at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fournier, K. B.; Celeste, J.; Rekow, V.

2010-07-15

We present the design and operation of a test cassette for exposure of samples to radiation environments at the National Ignition Facility. The cassette provides options for square and round samples and exposure areas; the cassette provides for multiple levels of filtration on a single sample, which allows dynamic range in experiments. The samples had normal lines of sight to the x-ray source in order to have uniform x-ray illumination. The incident x-radiation onto the samples was determined by the choice of filter thicknesses and materials. The samples were held at precise locations, accurate to within a few hundred microns,more » in the target chamber in order to have a known fluence incident. In the cassette, the samples were held in place in such a way that a minimal ''line contact'' allows them to have the maximal mechanical response to the x-ray load. We present postshot images of the debris found on films used for filters, and pre- and postexposure specimens.« less
The soft x-ray beamline at Frascati Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cinque, Gianfelice; Burattini, Emilio; Grilli, Antonio; Dabagov, Sultan

2005-08-01

DAΦNE-Light is the Synchrotron Radiation laboratory at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF)1. Three beamlines were commissioned since spring 2003 to exploit parasitically the intense photon emission from DAΦNE, the 0.5 1 GeV storage ring routinely circulating over 1 A of electrons. The soft X-ray beamline utilizes a wiggler source and, by a double-crystal fixed-exit monochromator, it is operational in the distinguishing energy window 1.5 - 4 keV range to be extended from the "water window" toward 6 keV. At present, the research activity is focused on X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS): precisely, X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) on the inner electronic levels of light elements and transition metals from Al to Ge and both d- and f-shells of higher Z atoms. Preliminary tests of X-ray imaging have been performed in view of applying different focusing optics, namely policapillary systems in trasmission and/or bent mica diffractor in back-reflection, for X-ray microscopy and spectromicroscopy experiments. The use of polycapillary systems (lenses, halflenses, capillaries) for studying features of radiation transportation by such structures (X-ray channelling, focusing, bending, etc.) has been planned.
Novel characterization of capsule x-ray drive at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

MacLaren, S A; Schneider, M B; Widmann, K; Hammer, J H; Yoxall, B E; Moody, J D; Bell, P M; Benedetti, L R; Bradley, D K; Edwards, M J; Guymer, T M; Hinkel, D E; Hsing, W W; Kervin, M L; Meezan, N B; Moore, A S; Ralph, J E

2014-03-14

Indirect drive experiments at the National Ignition Facility are designed to achieve fusion by imploding a fuel capsule with x rays from a laser-driven hohlraum. Previous experiments have been unable to determine whether a deficit in measured ablator implosion velocity relative to simulations is due to inadequate models of the hohlraum or ablator physics. ViewFactor experiments allow for the first time a direct measure of the x-ray drive from the capsule point of view. The experiments show a 15%-25% deficit relative to simulations and thus explain nearly all of the disagreement with the velocity data. In addition, the data from this open geometry provide much greater constraints on a predictive model of laser-driven hohlraum performance than the nominal ignition target.
Second metrology round-robin of APS, ESRF and SPring-8 laboratories of elliptical and spherical hard-x-ray mirrors.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rommeveaux, A.; Assoufid, L.; Ohashi, H.

2007-01-01

The first series of metrology round-robin measurements carried out in 2005 at the APS, ESRF and SPring-8 metrology laboratories involving two flat x-ray mirrors and a cylindrical x-ray mirror has shown excellent agreement among the three facilities Long Trace Profilers (LTP) despite their architectural differences. Because of the growing interest in diffraction-limited hard x-ray K-B focusing mirrors, it was decided to extend the round robin measurements to spherical and aspheric x-ray mirrors. The strong surface slope variation of these mirrors presents a real challenge to LTP. As a result, new LTP measurement protocol has to be developed and implemented tomore » ensure measurement accuracy and consistency. In this paper, different measurement techniques and procedures will be described, the results will be discussed, and comparison will be extended to micro-stitching interferometry measurements performed at Osaka University, Japan.« less
X-Ray Measurements Of A Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wharton, C. J.; Seabury, E. H.; Chichester, D. L.

2011-06-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X rays are a normal byproduct from neutron generators, but depending on their intensity and energy, x rays can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum wasmore » measured with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60 deg. between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and its x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric. A thin lead shield, 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) thick, reduced the 70-keV generator x rays to negligible levels.« less
AXAF: The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pellerin, Charles J.; Weisskopf, Martin C.; Neal, Valerie

2005-01-01

X-rays are produced by violent, energetic, and explosive phenomena in the universe. The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) is an orbiting observatory designed to view these X-rays. The National Academy of Sciences Survey Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics has recommended AXAF as the #1 priority among all major new astronomy programs. The scientific importance of AXAF was also highlighted by the Academy's Survey Committee on Physics. Why has AXAF earned such enthusiastic support, not only among astronomers, but also broadly within the nation's scientific community?
Vacuum system for room temperature X-ray lithography source (XLS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schuchman, J.C.

1988-09-30

A prototype room-temperature X-Ray Lithography Source (XLS)was proposed to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory as part of a technology-transfer- to-American-industry program. The overall machine comprises a full energy linac, a 170 meter long transport line, and a 39 meter circumference storage ring. The scope of this paper will be limited to describing the storage ring vacuum system. (AIP)
Vacuum system for room temperature X-ray lithography source (XLS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuchman, J. C.

1988-09-01

A prototype room-temperature X-Ray Lithography Source (XLS)was proposed to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory as part of a technology-transfer- to-American-industry program. The overall machine comprises a full energy linac, a 170 meter long transport line, and a 39 meter circumference storage ring. The scope of this paper will be limited to describing the storage ring vacuum system. (AIP)
Wavelength dispersive analysis with the synchrotron x ray fluorescence microprobe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, M. L.; Thorn, K. S.; Sutton, S. R.; Jones, K. W.; Bajt, S.

1993-01-01

A wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS) was tested on the synchrotron x ray fluorescence microprobe at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Compared to WDS spectra using an electron microprobe, the synchrotron WDS spectra have much better sensitivity and, due to the absence of bremsstrahlung radiation, lower backgrounds. The WDS spectrometer was successfully used to resolve REE L fluorescence spectra from standard glasses and transition metal K fluorescence spectra from kamacite.
Accretion and Outflows in X-ray Binaries: What's Really Going on During X-ray Quiescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, Rachel K. D.; Bailyn, Charles D.; Buxton, Michelle

2015-01-01

X-ray binaries, consisting of a star and a stellar-mass black hole, are wonderful laboratories for studying accretion and outflows. They evolve on timescales quite accessible to us, unlike their supermassive cousins, and allow the possibility of gaining a deeper understanding of these two common astrophysical processes. Different wavelength regimes reveal different aspects of the systems: radio emission is largely generated by outflows and jets, X-ray emission by inner accretion flows, and optical/infrared (OIR) emission by the outer disk and companion star. The search for relationships between these different wavelengths is thus an area of active research, aiming to reveal deeper connections between accretion and outflows.Initial evidence for a strong, tight correlation between radio and X-ray emission has weakened as further observations and newly-discovered sources have been obtained. This has led to discussions of multiple tracks or clusters, or the possibility that no overall relation exists for the currently-known population of X-ray binaries. Our ability to distinguish among these options is hampered by a relative lack of observations at lower luminosities, and especially of truly X-ray quiescent (non-outbursting) systems. Although X-ray binaries spend the bulk of their existence in quiescence, few quiescent sources have been observed and multiple observations of individual sources are largely nonexistent. Here we discuss new observations of the lowest-luminosity quiescent X-ray binary, A0620-00, and the place this object occupies in investigations of the radio/X-ray plane. For the first time, we also incorporate simultaneous OIR data with the radio and X-ray data.In December 2013 we took simultaneous observations of A0620-00 in the X-ray (Chandra), the radio (EVLA), and the OIR (SMARTS 1.3m). These X-ray and radio data allowed us to investigate similarities among quiescent X-ray binaries, and changes over time for this individual object, in the radio/X-ray

Capillary Discharge Soft X-ray Laser Experiments at Air Force Research Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruden, E. L.; Gale, D. G.

1997-11-01

The Air Force Research Laboratory (previously Phillips Laboratory) is presently attempting to reproduce the high gain laser results of J.J. Rocca's capillary discharge z-pinch pumped 46.9 nm Ne-like Ar laser. This poster presents progress to date at measuring our laser's intensity and gain. The capillary circuit consists of a low inductance 3 nH water capacitor discharged by a coaxial spark gap into a 12 cm long, 4 mm ID plastic capillary. The capillary is supplied with 39 kA of current with a 20 ns risetime. The principle radiation diagnostic consists of a VUV monochrometer coupled to a custom high speed vacuum X-ray diode with an aluminum cathode. The signal is recorded on a fast transient digitizer (Tektronix SCD 5000). The total detector system's analog bandwidth is about 3 GHz.
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-04-15

This photograph captures the installation of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), Advanced Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) into the Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The ACIS is one of two focal plane instruments. As the name suggests, this instrument is an array of CCDs similar to those used in a camcorder. This instrument will be especially useful because it can make x-ray images and measure the energies of incoming x-rays. It is the instrument of choice for studying the temperature variation across x-ray sources, such as vast clouds of hot-gas intergalactic space. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
A laboratory 8 keV transmission full-field x-ray microscope with a polycapillary as condenser for bright and dark field imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baumbach, S., E-mail: baumbach@rheinahrcampus.de; Wilhein, T.; Kanngießer, B.

2015-08-15

This article introduces a laboratory setup of a transmission full-field x-ray microscope at 8 keV photon energy. The microscope operates in bright and dark field imaging mode with a maximum field of view of 50 μm. Since the illumination geometry determines whether the sample is illuminated homogeneously and moreover, if different imaging methods can be applied, the condenser optic is one of the most significant parts. With a new type of x-ray condenser, a polycapillary optic, we realized bright field imaging and for the first time dark field imaging at 8 keV photon energy in a laboratory setup. A detectormore » limited spatial resolution of 210 nm is measured on x-ray images of Siemens star test patterns.« less
X-ray Measurements of a Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

E.H. Seabury; D.L. Chichester; A.J. Caffrey

2001-08-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X-rays are a normal byproduct from a neutron generator and depending on their intensity and energy they can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum was measuredmore » with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x-rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60° between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and the x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric within the neutron generator.« less
Monitoring X-Ray Emission from X-Ray Bursters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, Jules P.; Kaaret, Philip

1999-01-01

The scientific goal of this project was to monitor a selected sample of x-ray bursters using data from the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) on the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer together with data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory to study the long-term temporal evolution of these sources in the x-ray and hard x-ray bands. The project was closely related to "Long-Term Hard X-Ray Monitoring of X-Ray Bursters", NASA project NAG5-3891, and and "Hard x-ray emission of x-ray bursters", NASA project NAG5-4633, and shares publications in common with both of these. The project involved preparation of software for use in monitoring and then the actual monitoring itself. These efforts have lead to results directly from the ASM data and also from Target of Opportunity Observations (TOO) made with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer based on detection of transient hard x-ray outbursts with the ASM and BATSE.
Hard X-ray Imaging for Measuring Laser Absorption Spatial Profiles on the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewald, E L; Jones, O S; Landen, O L

2006-04-25

Hard x-ray (''Thin wall'') imaging will be employed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to spatially locate laser beam energy deposition regions on the hohlraum walls in indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments, relevant for ICF symmetry tuning. Based on time resolved imaging of the hard x-ray emission of the laser spots, this method will be used to infer hohlraum wall motion due to x-ray and laser ablation and any beam refraction caused by plasma density gradients. In optimizing this measurement, issues that have to be addressed are hard x-ray visibility during the entire ignition laser pulse with intensitiesmore » ranging from 10{sup 13} to 10{sup 15} W/cm{sup 2}, as well as simultaneous visibility of the inner and the outer laser drive cones. In this work we will compare the hard x-ray emission calculated by LASNEX and analytical modeling with thin wall imaging data recorded previously on Omega and during the first hohlraum experiments on NIF. Based on these calculations and comparisons the thin wall imaging will be optimized for ICF/NIF experiments.« less
New trends in space x-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, R.; Maršíková, V.; Pína, L.; Inneman, A.; Skulinová, M.

2017-11-01

The X-ray optics is a key element of various X-ray telescopes, X-ray microscopes, as well as other X-ray imaging instruments. The grazing incidence X-ray lenses represent the important class of X-ray optics. Most of grazing incidence (reflective) X-ray imaging systems used in astronomy but also in other (laboratory) applications are based on the Wolter 1 (or modified) arrangement. But there are also other designs and configurations proposed, used and considered for future applications both in space and in laboratory. The Kirkpatrick-Baez (K-B) lenses as well as various types of Lobster-Eye optics and MCP/Micropore optics serve as an example. Analogously to Wolter lenses, the X-rays are mostly reflected twice in these systems to create focal images. Various future projects in X-ray astronomy and astrophysics will require large segments with multiple thin shells or foils. The large Kirkpatrick-Baez modules, as well as the large Lobster-Eye X-ray telescope modules in Schmidt arrangement may serve as examples. All these space projects will require high quality and light segmented shells (bent or flat foils) with high X-ray reflectivity and excellent mechanical stability. The Multi Foil Optics (MFO) approach represent a promising alternative for both LE and K-B X-ray optical modules. Several types of reflecting substrates may be considered for these applications, with emphasis on thin float glass sheets and, more recently, high quality silicon wafers. This confirms the importance of non- Wolter X-ray optics designs for the future. Future large space X-ray telescopes (such as IXO) require precise and light-weight X-ray optics based on numerous thin reflecting shells. Novel approaches and advanced technologies are to be exploited and developed. In this contribution, we refer on results of tested X-ray mirror shells produced by glass thermal forming (GTF) and by shaping Si wafers. Both glass foils and Si wafers are commercially available, have excellent surface
Investigating high speed phenomena in laser plasma interactions using dilation x-ray imager (invited).

PubMed

Nagel, S R; Hilsabeck, T J; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Ayers, M J; Piston, K; Felker, B; Kilkenny, J D; Chung, T; Sammuli, B; Hares, J D; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A K L

2014-11-01

The DIlation X-ray Imager (DIXI) is a new, high-speed x-ray framing camera at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) sensitive to x-rays in the range of ≈2-17 keV. DIXI uses the pulse-dilation technique to achieve a temporal resolution of less than 10 ps, a ≈10× improvement over conventional framing cameras currently employed on the NIF (≈100 ps resolution), and otherwise only attainable with 1D streaked imaging. The pulse-dilation technique utilizes a voltage ramp to impart a velocity gradient on the signal-bearing electrons. The temporal response, spatial resolution, and x-ray sensitivity of DIXI are characterized with a short x-ray impulse generated using the COMET laser facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. At the NIF a pinhole array at 10 cm from target chamber center (tcc) projects images onto the photocathode situated outside the NIF chamber wall with a magnification of ≈64×. DIXI will provide important capabilities for warm-dense-matter physics, high-energy-density science, and inertial confinement fusion, adding important capabilities to temporally resolve hot-spot formation, x-ray emission, fuel motion, and mix levels in the hot-spot at neutron yields of up to 10(17). We present characterization data as well as first results on electron-transport phenomena in buried-layer foil experiments.
Ultrasoft x-ray imaging system for the National Spherical Torus Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutman, D.; Finkenthal, M.; Soukhanovskii, V.; May, M. J.; Moos, H. W.; Kaita, R.

1999-01-01

A spectrally resolved ultrasoft x-ray imaging system, consisting of arrays of high resolution (<2 Å) and throughput (⩾tens of kHz) miniature monochromators, and based on multilayer mirrors and absolute photodiodes, is being designed for the National Spherical Torus Experiment. Initially, three poloidal arrays of diodes filtered for C 1s-np emission will be implemented for fast tomographic imaging of the colder start-up plasmas. Later on, mirrors tuned to the C Lyα emission will be added in order to enable the arrays to "see" the periphery through the hot core and to study magnetohydrodynamic activity and impurity transport in this region. We also discuss possible core diagnostics, based on tomographic imaging of the Lyα emission from the plume of recombined, low Z impurity ions left by neutral beams or fueling pellets. The arrays can also be used for radiated power measurements and to map the distribution of high Z impurities injected for transport studies. The performance of the proposed system is illustrated with results from test channels on the CDX-U spherical torus at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
Quantitative imaging of single-shot liquid distributions in sprays using broadband flash x-ray radiography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halls, B. R.; Roy, S.; Gord, J. R.

Flash x-ray radiography is used to capture quantitative, two-dimensional line-of-sight averaged, single-shot liquid distribution measurements in impinging jet sprays. The accuracy of utilizing broadband x-ray radiation from compact flash tube sources is investigated for a range of conditions by comparing the data with radiographic high-speed measurements from a narrowband, high-intensity synchrotron x-ray facility at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) of Argonne National Laboratory. The path length of the liquid jets is varied to evaluate the effects of energy dependent x-ray attenuation, also known as spectral beam hardening. The spatial liquid distributions from flash x-ray and synchrotron-based radiography are compared, alongmore » with spectral characteristics using Taylor’s hypothesis. The results indicate that quantitative, single-shot imaging of liquid distributions can be achieved using broadband x-ray sources with nanosecond temporal resolution. Practical considerations for optimizing the imaging system performance are discussed, including the coupled effects of x-ray bandwidth, contrast, sensitivity, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and spectral beam hardening.« less
Micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with x-ray single bounce metallic capillary optics for light element analysis (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mroczka, Robert; Żukociński, Grzegorz; Łopucki, Rafał

2017-05-01

In the last 20 years, , due to the rapid development of X-ray optics, micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (micro-XRF) has become a powerful tool to determine the spatial distribution of major, minor, and trace elements within a sample. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) spectrometers for light element analysis (6 <= Z <= 14) using glass polycapillary optics are usually designed and applied to confocal geometry. Two such X-ray optics systems are used in this setup. The first one focuses the primary beam on the sample; the second restricts the field of view of the detector. In order to be able to analyze a wider range of elements especialy with (6 <= Z <= 14), both sample and detector are under vacuum. Depth resolution varies between 100 μm at 1 keV fluorescence energy (Na-Kα) and 30 μm for 17.5 keV (Mo-Kα) [1,2]. In order to improve resolution at energies below 9 keV, our group designed similar spectrometer (in cooperation with PREVAC) but instead of primary polycapillary optics we applied single bounce metallic capillaries optics , designed and manufactured in our Laboratory. The vacuum chumber is currently under construction and is expected to be fully operational in September this year. Single bounce gold capillaries with elliptic internal shape have recently been redesigned and developed in our Laboratory. Surface roughness was reduced up to 0.5 nm and slope error to 0.3 mrad. For these capillaries an expected depth resolution varies from 3 μm (1 keV) and 10 µm for 9 keV (Cu-Kα). The spectrometer equipped with gold capillaries offers the possibility of elemental analysis with better depth resolution than is offerred by glass polycapillaries at energies below 9 keV. Furthermore, we will compare the capabilities and limitations of this spectrometer with others, that use laboratory and/or synchrotron sources. Acknowledgments: This work was supported and co-funded by the European Union as part of the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland for
X-ray irradiation of yeast cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masini, Alessandra; Batani, Dimitri; Previdi, Fabio; Conti, Aldo; Pisani, Francesca; Botto, Cesare; Bortolotto, Fulvia; Torsiello, Flavia; Turcu, I. C. Edmond; Allott, Ric M.; Lisi, Nicola; Milani, Marziale; Costato, Michele; Pozzi, Achille; Koenig, Michel

1997-10-01

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast cells were irradiated using the soft X-ray laser-plasma source at Rutherford Laboratory. The aim was to produce a selective damage of enzyme metabolic activity at the wall and membrane level (responsible for fermentation) without interfering with respiration (taking place in mitochondria) and with nuclear and DNA activity. The source was calibrated by PIN diodes and X-ray spectrometers. Teflon stripes were chosen as targets for the UV laser, emitting X-rays at about 0.9 keV, characterized by a very large decay exponent in biological matter. X-ray doses to the different cell compartments were calculated following a Lambert-Bouguet-Beer law. After irradiation, the selective damage to metabolic activity at the membrane level was measured by monitoring CO2 production with pressure silicon detectors. Preliminary results gave evidence of pressure reduction for irradiated samples and non-linear response to doses. Also metabolic oscillations were evidenced in cell suspensions and it was shown that X-ray irradiation changed the oscillation frequency.
Calibration of a High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer for High-Energy-Density Plasmas on NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, B.; Gao, L.; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Efthimion, P.; Schneider, M. B.; Chen, H.; Ayers, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Liedahl, D.; Macphee, A. G.; Thorn, D. B.; Bettencourt, R.; Kauffman, R.; Le, H.; Nelson, D.

2017-10-01

A high-resolution, DIM-based (Diagnostic Instrument Manipulator) x-ray crystal spectrometer has been calibrated for and deployed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to diagnose plasma conditions and mix in ignition capsules near stagnation times. Two conical crystals in the Hall geometry focus rays from the Kr He- α, Ly- α, and He- β complexes onto a streak camera for time-resolved spectra, in order to measure electron density and temperature by observing Stark broadening and relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Signals from these two crystals are correlated with a third crystal that time-integrates the intervening energy range. The spectrometer has been absolutely calibrated using a microfocus x-ray source, an array of CCD and single-photon-counting detectors, and K- and L-absorption edge filters. Measurements of the integrated reflectivity, energy range, and energy resolution for each crystal will be presented. The implications of the calibration on signal levels from NIF implosions and x-ray filter choices will be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DoE by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Anomalous X-Ray Reflectivity Characterization of Ion Distribution at Biomimetic Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaknin, David; Krüger, Peter; Lösche, Mathias

2003-05-01

Anomalous x-ray reflectivity measurements provides detailed information on ion binding to biomembrane surfaces. Using a monochromatic beam tuned to various x-ray energies at the Argonne National Laboratory Advanced Photon Source and utilizing a newly commissioned x-ray liquid surfaces reflectometer, measurements at and away from ion absorption edges allow determination of the distribution of these ions as they accumulate near lipid membranes. As a model, the interaction of Ba2+ ions with DMPA- (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidic acid) monolayers at the aqueous surface is studied. We find an unexpectedly large concentration of barium at the interface, ≈1.5 per DMPA-, forming a Stern layer of bound ions and a cloud of less densely bound ions near the lipid headgroups. This result can be understood only if one assumes that bound cations are partially speciated, e.g., as BaOH+.
Ultra-high Resolution Coherent X-ray Imaging of Nano-Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, David

A revolution is underway in the field of x-ray microscopy driven by the develop of experimental, theoretical and computational means of producing a complete description of coherent imaging systems from x-ray diffraction data. The methods being developed not only allow for full quantification and removal of all optical aberrations but also extension of the numerical aperture to the diffraction limit. One such method under intensive development is x-ray ptychography. This is a scanned probe method that reconstructs a scattering object and its illumination from coherent diffraction data. Within the first few years of development at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this method has already achieved the highest resolution x-ray images ever recorded in two, three and four dimensions. With the ability of x-rays to penetrate significantly more matter than electrons, their short wavelength and their sensitivity to chemical and magnetic states of matter, x-ray ptychography is set to revolutionize how we see the nano-scale world. In this presentation I will briefly describe the technical framework for how various methods work and will give a detailed account of a practical implementation at the ALS along with various scientific applications. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-05-01

This photograph shows the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) being removed from the test structure in the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-12-16

This is a photograph of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) integration at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-12-16

This is a photograph of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) integration at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSCF was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-05-01

This photograph shows the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) being removed from the test structure in the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRMA, the heart of the telescope system, is contained in the cylindrical "telescope" portion of the observatory. Since high-energy x-rays would penetrate a normal mirror, special cylindrical mirrors were created. The two sets of four nested mirrors resemble tubes within tubes. Incoming x-rays graze off the highly polished mirror surface and are furneled to the instrument section for detection and study. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
Portable Soft X-Ray Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-22

ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 worch) A carpact sOtt X-ray laser (SXL) can be designed combining results of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ( PPPL ) and Rutherford...Appleton Laboratory (RAL). At PPPL , gain at 18.2nm was dem- onstrated in a carbon plasma pumped by a low energy laser, with no mag- netic field. The...Physics Laboratory ( PPPL ) and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). In the PPPL experiment, gain at a wavelength of 18.2 nm was demonstrated in a

History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-23

Leon Van Speybroeck of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge Massachusetts was awarded the 2002 Bruno Rossi Prize of the High-Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomy Society. The Rossi Prize is an arnual recognition of significant contributions in high-energy astrophysics in honor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's late Professor Bruno Rossi, an authority on cosmic ray physics and a pioneer in the field of x-ray astronomy. Van Speybroeck, who led the effort to design and make the x-ray mirrors for NASA's premier Chandra X-Ray Observatory, was recognized for a career of stellar achievements in designing precision x-ray optics. As Telescope Scientist for Chandra, he has worked for more than 20 years with a team that includes scientists and engineers from the Harvard-Smithsonian, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, TRW, Inc., Huhes-Danbury (now B.F. Goodrich Aerospace), Optical Coating Laboratories, Inc., and Eastman-Kodak on all aspects of the x-ray mirror assembly that is the heart of the observatory.
Argonne National Laboratory Annual Report of Laboratory Directed Research and Development program activities FY 2011.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Office of The Director)

As a national laboratory Argonne concentrates on scientific and technological challenges that can only be addressed through a sustained, interdisciplinary focus at a national scale. Argonne's eight major initiatives, as enumerated in its strategic plan, are Hard X-ray Sciences, Leadership Computing, Materials and Molecular Design and Discovery, Energy Storage, Alternative Energy and Efficiency, Nuclear Energy, Biological and Environmental Systems, and National Security. The purposes of Argonne's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program are to encourage the development of novel technical concepts, enhance the Laboratory's research and development (R and D) capabilities, and pursue its strategic goals. projects are selectedmore » from proposals for creative and innovative R and D studies that require advance exploration before they are considered to be sufficiently developed to obtain support through normal programmatic channels. Among the aims of the projects supported by the LDRD Program are the following: establishment of engineering proof of principle, assessment of design feasibility for prospective facilities, development of instrumentation or computational methods or systems, and discoveries in fundamental science and exploratory development.« less
Coherent X-ray imaging across length scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munro, P. R. T.

2017-04-01

Contemporary X-ray imaging techniques span a uniquely wide range of spatial resolutions, covering five orders of magnitude. The evolution of X-ray sources, from the earliest laboratory sources through to highly brilliant and coherent free-electron lasers, has been key to the development of these imaging techniques. This review surveys the predominant coherent X-ray imaging techniques with fields of view ranging from that of entire biological organs, down to that of biomolecules. We introduce the fundamental principles necessary to understand the image formation for each technique as well as briefly reviewing coherent X-ray source development. We present example images acquired using a selection of techniques, by leaders in the field.
Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; Moody, J.; Divol, L.; Jones, O.; Landen, O.

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ˜8 J cm-2. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 1019 cm-2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.
Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic.

PubMed

Swadling, G F; Ross, J S; Datte, P; Moody, J; Divol, L; Jones, O; Landen, O

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ∼8 J cm -2 . This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.
Capsule implosions for continuum x-ray backlighting of opacity samples at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opachich, Y. P.; Heeter, R. F.; Barrios, M. A.; Garcia, E. M.; Craxton, R. S.; King, J. A.; Liedahl, D. A.; McKenty, P. W.; Schneider, M. B.; May, M. J.; Zhang, R.; Ross, P. W.; Kline, J. L.; Moore, A. S.; Weaver, J. L.; Flippo, K. A.; Perry, T. S.

2017-06-01

Direct drive implosions of plastic capsules have been performed at the National Ignition Facility to provide a broad-spectrum (500-2000 eV) X-ray continuum source for X-ray transmission spectroscopy. The source was developed for the high-temperature plasma opacity experimental platform. Initial experiments using 2.0 mm diameter polyalpha-methyl styrene capsules with ˜20 μm thickness have been performed. X-ray yields of up to ˜1 kJ/sr have been measured using the Dante multichannel diode array. The backlighter source size was measured to be ˜100 μm FWHM, with ˜350 ps pulse duration during the peak emission stage. Results are used to simulate transmission spectra for a hypothetical iron opacity sample at 150 eV, enabling the derivation of photometrics requirements for future opacity experiments.
X-ray filter for x-ray powder diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sinsheimer, John Jay; Conley, Raymond P.; Bouet, Nathalie C. D.

Technologies are described for apparatus, methods and systems effective for filtering. The filters may comprise a first plate. The first plate may include an x-ray absorbing material and walls defining first slits. The first slits may include arc shaped openings through the first plate. The walls of the first plate may be configured to absorb at least some of first x-rays when the first x-rays are incident on the x-ray absorbing material, and to output second x-rays. The filters may comprise a second plate spaced from the first plate. The second plate may include the x-ray absorbing material and wallsmore » defining second slits. The second slits may include arc shaped openings through the second plate. The walls of the second plate may be configured to absorb at least some of second x-rays and to output third x-rays.« less
High Resolution X-ray Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cash, Webster

2002-01-01

NAG5-5020 covered a period of 7.5 years during which a great deal of progress was made in x-ray optical techniques under this grant. We survived peer review numerous times during the effort to keep the grant going. In 1994, when the grant started we were actively pursuing the application of spherical mirrors to improving x-ray telescopes. We had found that x-ray detectors were becoming rapidly more sophisticated and affordable, but that x-ray telescopes were only being improved through the intense application of money within the AXAF program. Clearly new techniques for the future were needed. We were successful in developing and testing at the HELSTF facility in New Mexico a four reflection coma-corrected telescope made from spheres. We were able to demonstrate 0.3 arcsecond resolution, almost to the diffraction limit of the system. The community as a whole was, at that time, not particularly interested in looking past AXAF (Chandra) and the effort needed to evolve. Since we had reached the diffraction limit using non-Wolter optics we then decided to see if we could build an x-ray interferometer in the laboratory. In the lab the potential for improved resolution was substantial. If synthetic aperture telescopes could be built in space, then orders of magnitude improvement would become feasible. In 1998 NASA, under the direction of Dr. Nick White of Goddard, started a study to assess the potential and feasibility of x-ray interferometry in space. My work became of central interest to the committee because it indicated that such was possible. In early 1999 we had the breakthrough that allowed us build a practical interferometer. By using flats and hooking up with the Marshall Space Flight Center facilities we were able to demonstrate fringes at 1.25keV on a one millimeter baseline. This actual laboratory demonstration provided the solid proof of concept that NASA needed.
Laboratory Measurements of X-Ray Emissions From Centimeter-Long Streamer Corona Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, C. L.; Millan, R. M.; McGaw, D. G.; Yu, C. T.; Putter, A. S.; LaBelle, J.; Dwyer, J.

2017-11-01

We provide extensive evidence that runaway electron acceleration and subsequent bremsstrahlung X-ray emission are a common feature in negative electrical discharges with voltages as low as 100 kV, indicating that all negative lightning could potentially produce runaway electrons. Centimeter long streamer corona discharges produce bursts of X-ray radiation, emitted by a source highly compact in space and time, leading to photon pileup. Median photon burst energies vary between 33 and 96 keV in 100 kV discharges. Statistical analysis of 5,000+ discharges shows that X-rays are observed in as many as 60% of the triggers, depending on the configuration. X-ray detection is more frequent when streamers are not followed by a spark, the detector is oriented perpendicular to the gap, and a thicker anode is used. In an 8-cm-long gap, X-rays are produced when runaway electrons hit the anode, and the electron acceleration is not necessarily correlated with streamer collisions.
A Benchmark Experiment for Photoionized Plasma Emission from Accretion-Powered X-ray Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loisel, G.; Bailey, J.; Nagayama, T.; Hansen, S.; Rochau, G.; Liedahl, D.; Fontes, C.; Kallman, T.; Mancini, R.

2017-10-01

Accretion-powered emission from X-ray binaries or black-hole accretion in Active Galactic Nuclei is a powerful diagnostic for their behavior and structure. Interpretation of x-ray emission from these objects requires a spectral synthesis model for photoionized plasma. Models must predict the photoionized charge state distribution, the photon emission processes, and the radiation transport influence on the observed emission. At the Z facility, we have measured simultaneously emission and absorption from a photoionized silicon plasma suitable to benchmark photoionization and spectrum formation models with +/-5% reproducibility and E/dE >2500 spectral resolution. Plasma density, temperature, and charge state distribution are determined with absorption spectroscopy. Self-emission measured at adjustable column densities tests radiation transport effects. Observation of 14 transitions in He-like silicon will help understand population mechanisms in a photoionized plasma. First observation of radiative recombination continuum in a photoionized plasma will be presented. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525.
Bendable Focusing X-Ray Optics for the ALS and the LCLS/FEL: Design, Metrology, and Performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yashchuk, V. V.; Yuan, S.; Baker, S.

2010-06-02

We review the recent development of bendable x-ray optics used for focusing of beams of soft and hard x-rays at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray free electron laser (FEL) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory. For simultaneous focusing in the tangential and sagittal directions, two elliptically cylindrical reflecting elements, a Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) pair, are used. Because fabrication of elliptical surfaces is complicated, the cost of directly fabricated tangential elliptical cylinders is often prohibitive. Moreover, such optics cannot be easily readjusted for usemore » in multiple, different experimental arrangements, e.g. at different focal distances. This is in contrast to flat optics that are simpler to manufacture and easier to measure by conventional interferometry. The tangential figure of a flat substrate is changed by placing torques (couples) at each end. Depending on the applied couples, one can tune the shape close to a desired tangential cylinder, ellipse or parabola. We review the nature of the bending, requirements and approaches to the mechanical design, describe original optical and at-wavelength techniques for optimal tuning of bendable optics and alignment on the beamline, and provide beamline performance of the bendable optics used for sub-micro and nano focusing of soft x-rays.« less
Laboratory implementation of edge illumination X-ray phase-contrast imaging with energy-resolved detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diemoz, P. C.; Endrizzi, M.; Vittoria, F. A.; Hagen, C. K.; Kallon, G.; Basta, D.; Marenzana, M.; Delogu, P.; Vincenzi, A.; De Ruvo, L.; Spandre, G.; Brez, A.; Bellazzini, R.; Olivo, A.

2015-03-01

Edge illumination (EI) X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) has potential for applications in different fields of research, including materials science, non-destructive industrial testing, small-animal imaging, and medical imaging. One of its main advantages is the compatibility with laboratory equipment, in particular with conventional non-microfocal sources, which makes its exploitation in normal research laboratories possible. In this work, we demonstrate that the signal in laboratory implementations of EI can be correctly described with the use of the simplified geometrical optics. Besides enabling the derivation of simple expressions for the sensitivity and spatial resolution of a given EI setup, this model also highlights the EI's achromaticity. With the aim of improving image quality, as well as to take advantage of the fact that all energies in the spectrum contribute to the image contrast, we carried out EI acquisitions using a photon-counting energy-resolved detector. The obtained results demonstrate that this approach has great potential for future laboratory implementations of EI.
Advanced High Brilliance X-Ray Source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibson, Walter M.

1998-01-01

The possibility to dramatically increase the efficiency of laboratory based protein structure measurements through the use of polycapillary X-ray optics was investigated. This project initiated April 1, 1993 and concluded December 31, 1996 (including a no cost extension from June 31, 1996). This is a final report of the project. The basis for the project is the ability to collect X-rays from divergent electron bombardment laboratory X-ray sources and redirect them into quasiparallel or convergent (focused) beams. For example, a 0.1 radian (approx. 6 deg) portion of a divergent beam collected by a polycapillary collimator and transformed into a quasiparallel beam of 3 millradian (0.2 deg) could give a gain of 6(exp 2)/0.2(exp 2) x T for the intensity of a diffracted beam from a crystal with a 0.2 deg diffraction width. T is the transmission efficiency of the polycapillary diffraction optic, and for T=0.5, the gain would be 36/0.04 x O.5=45. In practice, the effective collection angle will depend on the source spot size, the input focal length of the optic (usually limited by the source spot-to-window distance on the x-ray tube) and the size of the crystal relative to the output diameter of the optic. The transmission efficiency, T, depends on the characteristics (fractional open area, surface roughness, shape and channel diameter) of the polycapillary optic and is typically in the range 0.2-0.4. These effects could substantially reduce the expected efficiency gain. During the course of this study, the possibility to use a weakly focused beam (0.5 deg convergence) was suggested which could give an additional 10-20 X efficiency gain for small samples . Weakly focused beams from double focusing mirrors are frequently used for macromolecular crystallography studies. Furthermore the crystals are typically oscillated by as much as 2 deg during each X-ray exposure in order to increase the reciprocal space (number of crystal planes) sampled and use of a slightly convergent
Use of a priori spectral information in the measurement of x-ray flux with filtered diode arrays

DOE PAGES

Marrs, R. E.; Widmann, K.; Brown, G. V.; ...

2015-10-29

Filtered x-ray diode (XRD) arrays are often used to measure x-ray spectra vs. time from spectrally continuous x-ray sources such as hohlraums. A priori models of the incident x-ray spectrum enable a more accurate unfolding of the x-ray flux as compared to the standard technique of modifying a thermal Planckian with spectral peaks or dips at the response energy of each filtered XRD channel. A model x-ray spectrum consisting of a thermal Planckian, a Gaussian at higher energy, and (in some cases) a high energy background provides an excellent fit to XRD-array measurements of x-ray emission from laser heated hohlraums.more » If high-resolution measurements of part of the x-ray emission spectrum are available, that information can be included in the a priori model. In cases where the x-ray emission spectrum is not Planckian, candidate x-ray spectra can be allowed or excluded by fitting them to measured XRD voltages. Here, examples are presented from the filtered XRD arrays, named Dante, at the National Ignition Facility and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.« less
Configuring and Characterizing X-Rays for Laser-Driven Compression Experiments at the Dynamic Compression Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Capatina, D.; D'Amico, K.; Eng, P.; Hawreliak, J.; Graber, T.; Rickerson, D.; Klug, J.; Rigg, P. A.; Gupta, Y. M.

2017-06-01

Coupling laser-driven compression experiments to the x-ray beam at the Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS) at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) of Argonne National Laboratory requires state-of-the-art x-ray focusing, pulse isolation, and diagnostics capabilities. The 100J UV pulsed laser system can be fired once every 20 minutes so precise alignment and focusing of the x-rays on each new sample must be fast and reproducible. Multiple Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirrors are used to achieve a focal spot size as small as 50 μm at the target, while the strategic placement of scintillating screens, cameras, and detectors allows for fast diagnosis of the beam shape, intensity, and alignment of the sample to the x-ray beam. In addition, a series of x-ray choppers and shutters are used to ensure that the sample is exposed to only a single x-ray pulse ( 80ps) during the dynamic compression event and require highly precise synchronization. Details of the technical requirements, layout, and performance of these instruments will be presented. Work supported by DOE/NNSA.
Asymmetrically cut crystal pair as x-ray magnifier for imaging at high intensity laser facilitiesa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabo, C. I.; Feldman, U.; Seely, J. F.; Curry, J. J.; Hudson, L. T.; Henins, A.

2010-10-01

The potential of an x-ray magnifier prepared from a pair of asymmetrically cut crystals is studied to explore high energy x-ray imaging capabilities at high intensity laser facilities. OMEGA-EP and NIF when irradiating mid and high Z targets can be a source of high-energy x-rays whose production mechanisms and use as backlighters are a subject of active research. This paper studies the properties and potential of existing asymmetric cut crystal pairs from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built in a new enclosure for imaging x-ray sources. The technique of the x-ray magnifier has been described previously. This new approach is aimed to find a design that could be used at laser facilities by magnifying the x-ray source into a screen far away from the target chamber center, with fixed magnification defined by the crystals' lattice spacing and the asymmetry angles. The magnified image is monochromatic and the imaging wavelength is set by crystal asymmetry and incidence angles. First laboratory results are presented and discussed.
Laboratory X-ray Studies with Trapped Highly Charged Ions Using Synchrotrons and Free-electron Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crespo López-Urrutia, José R.

2018-06-01

Laboratory studies on highly charged ions (HCI) using electron beam ion traps (EBITs) can cover all charge states and chemical elements found in astrophysical sources. Since their introduction in 1986, a wealth of emission measurements from the optical to the x-ray range has been carried out by different groups. In most of the work, electron-impact excitation was the driving mechanism, and high resolution spectrometers were used for the diagnostic of the emitted radiation. Other recent studies included x-ray emission following charge exchange, a mechanism which is present in many astrophysical environments and can help explain some of the unknown spectral features at 3.55 keV.In the last decade, excitation and photoionization have also been investigated by exposing HCI trapped in an EBIT to intense, monochromatic radiation from free-electron lasers and synchrotron sources. Here, advanced monochromators in powerful undulator beamlines allowed us to work at photon energies from 50 eV to 15 keV while resolving the natural linewidths of x-ray transitions like the Kα complex of Fe up to the highest charge states, and to measure the oscillator strengths of, e. g., the neonlike Fe16+ spectrum. Photoionization studies have been performed for those species as well. Very recently, our novel compact EBIT with an off-axis electron gun allows for simultaneously using the photon beam downstream, enabling exact wavelength determinations referenced to HCI with accurately calculable transitions. We have performed a recalibration of the molecular and atomic oxygen soft x-ray absorption lines in the 500 eV range with an uncertainty estimate of 30 meV. This revealed a 600 meV calibration error that propagated through the literature for decades with the consequence of a 200 km/s misfit of the velocity in interstellar oxygen absorbers. Other possibilities for the compact EBIT are investigations of resonant photorecombination processes with excellent energy resolution. With the
Laboratory and In-Flight In-Situ X-ray Imaging and Scattering Facility for Materials, Biotechnology and Life Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

We propose a multifunctional X-ray facility for the Materials, Biotechnology and Life Sciences Programs to visualize formation and behavior dynamics of materials, biomaterials, and living organisms, tissues and cells. The facility will combine X-ray topography, phase micro-imaging and scattering capabilities with sample units installed on the goniometer. This should allow, for the first time, to monitor under well defined conditions, in situ, in real time: creation of imperfections during growth of semiconductors, metal, dielectric and biomacromolecular crystals and films, high-precision diffraction from crystals within a wide range of temperatures and vapor, melt, solution conditions, internal morphology and changes in living organisms, tissues and cells, diffraction on biominerals, nanotubes and particles, radiation damage, also under controlled formation/life conditions. The system will include an ultrabright X-ray source, X-ray mirror, monochromator, image-recording unit, detectors, and multipurpose diffractometer that fully accommodate and integrate furnaces and samples with other experimental environments. The easily adjustable laboratory and flight versions will allow monitoring processes under terrestrial and microgravity conditions. The flight version can be made available using a microsource combined with multilayer or capillary optics.
Advances toward submicron resolution optics for x-ray instrumentation and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordier, Mark; Stripe, Benjamin; Yun, Wenbing; Lau, S. H.; Lyon, Alan; Reynolds, David; Lewis, Sylvia J. Y.; Chen, Sharon; Semenov, Vladimir A.; Spink, Richard I.; Seshadri, Srivatsan

2017-08-01

Sigray's axially symmetric x-ray optics enable advanced microanalytical capabilities for focusing x-rays to microns-scale to submicron spot sizes, which can potentially unlock many avenues for laboratory micro-analysis. The design of these optics allows submicron spot sizes even at low x-ray energies, enabling research into low atomic number elements and allows increased sensitivity of grazing incidence measurements and surface analysis. We will discuss advances made in the fabrication of these double paraboloidal mirror lenses designed for use in laboratory x-ray applications. We will additionally present results from as-built paraboloids, including surface figure error and focal spot size achieved to-date.
Application of ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering / X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to relate equilibrium or non-equilibrium dynamics to microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Andrew; Zhang, Fan; Levine, Lyle; Ilavsky, Jan

2013-03-01

Ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) can probe microstructures over the nanometer-to-micrometer scale range. Through use of a small instrument entrance slit, X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) exploits the partial coherence of an X-ray synchrotron undulator beam to provide unprecedented sensitivity to the dynamics of microstructural change. In USAXS/XPCS studies, the dynamics of local structures in a scale range of 100 nm to 1000 nm can be related to an overall hierarchical microstructure extending from 1 nm to more than 1000 nm. Using a point-detection scintillator mode, the equilibrium dynamics at ambient temperature of small particles (which move more slowly than nanoparticles) in aqueous suspension have been quantified directly for the first time. Using a USAXS-XPCS scanning mode for non-equilibrium dynamics incipient processes within dental composites have been elucidated, prior to effects becoming detectable using any other technique. Use of the Advanced Photon Source, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Broadband high resolution X-ray spectral analyzer

DOEpatents

Silver, Eric H.; Legros, Mark; Madden, Norm W.; Goulding, Fred; Landis, Don

1998-01-01

A broad bandwidth high resolution x-ray fluorescence spectrometer has a performance that is superior in many ways to those currently available. It consists of an array of 4 large area microcalorimeters with 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV and it produces x-ray spectra between 0.2 keV and 7 keV with an energy resolution of 7 to 10 eV. The resolution is obtained at input count rates per array element of 10 to 50 Hz in real-time, with analog pulse processing and thermal pile-up rejection. This performance cannot be matched by currently available x-ray spectrometers. The detectors are incorporated into a compact and portable cryogenic refrigerator system that is ready for use in many analytical spectroscopy applications as a tool for x-ray microanalysis or in research applications such as laboratory and astrophysical x-ray and particle spectroscopy.
Broadband high resolution X-ray spectral analyzer

DOEpatents

Silver, E.H.; Legros, M.; Madden, N.W.; Goulding, F.; Landis, D.

1998-07-07

A broad bandwidth high resolution X-ray fluorescence spectrometer has a performance that is superior in many ways to those currently available. It consists of an array of 4 large area microcalorimeters with 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV and it produces X-ray spectra between 0.2 keV and 7 keV with an energy resolution of 7 to 10 eV. The resolution is obtained at input count rates per array element of 10 to 50 Hz in real-time, with analog pulse processing and thermal pile-up rejection. This performance cannot be matched by currently available X-ray spectrometers. The detectors are incorporated into a compact and portable cryogenic refrigerator system that is ready for use in many analytical spectroscopy applications as a tool for X-ray microanalysis or in research applications such as laboratory and astrophysical X-ray and particle spectroscopy. 6 figs.
X-Ray Diffraction Reference Intensity Ratios of Amorphous and Poorly Crystalline Phases: Implications for CheMin on the Mars Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, R. V.; Achilles, C. N.; Chipera, S. J.; Ming, D. W.; Rampe, E. B.

2013-01-01

The CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is an X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument capable of providing the mineralogical and chemical compositions of rocks and soils on the surface of Mars. CheMin uses a microfocus X-ray tube with a Co target, transmission geometry, and an energy-discriminating X-ray sensitive CCD to produce simultaneous 2-D XRD patterns and energy-dispersive X-ray histograms from powdered samples. Piezoelectric vibration of the cell is used to randomize the sample to reduce preferred orientation effects. Instrument details are provided in [1, 2, 3]. Analyses of rock and soil samples by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) show nanophase ferric oxide (npOx) is a significant component of the Martian global soil [4] and is thought to be one of the major contributing phases that the Curiosity rover will encounter if a soil sample is analyzed in Gale Crater. Because of the nature of this material, npOx will likely contribute to an X-ray amorphous or short-order component of a XRD pattern measured by the CheMin instrument.
Capsule implosions for continuum x-ray backlighting of opacity samples at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Opachich, Y. P.; Heeter, R. F.; Barrios, M. A.; ...

2017-06-08

Direct drive implosions of plastic capsules have been performed at the National Ignition Facility to provide a broad-spectrum (500–2000 eV) X-ray continuum source for X-ray transmission spectroscopy. The source was developed for the high-temperature plasma opacity experimental platform. Initial experiments using 2.0 mm diameter polyalpha-methyl styrene capsules with ~20 μm thickness have been performed. X-ray yields of up to ~1 kJ/sr have been measured using the Dante multichannel diode array. The backlighter source size was measured to be ~100 μm FWHM, with ~350 ps pulse duration during the peak emission stage. Lastly, these results are used to simulate transmission spectramore » for a hypothetical iron opacity sample at 150 eV, enabling the derivation of photometrics requirements for future opacity experiments.« less
Capsule implosions for continuum x-ray backlighting of opacity samples at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Opachich, Y P; Heeter, R F; Barrios, M A; Garcia, E M; Craxton, R S; King, J A; Liedahl, D A; McKenty, P W; Schneider, M B; May, M J; Zhang, R; Ross, P W; Kline, J L; Moore, A S; Weaver, J L; Flippo, K A; Perry, T S

2017-06-01

Direct drive implosions of plastic capsules have been performed at the National Ignition Facility to provide a broad-spectrum (500-2000 eV) X-ray continuum source for X-ray transmission spectroscopy. The source was developed for the high-temperature plasma opacity experimental platform. Initial experiments using 2.0 mm diameter polyalpha-methyl styrene capsules with ∼20 μ m thickness have been performed. X-ray yields of up to ∼1 kJ/sr have been measured using the Dante multichannel diode array. The backlighter source size was measured to be ∼100 μ m FWHM, with ∼350 ps pulse duration during the peak emission stage. Results are used to simulate transmission spectra for a hypothetical iron opacity sample at 150 eV, enabling the derivation of photometrics requirements for future opacity experiments.
Conceptual Design for Time-Resolved X-ray Diffraction in a Single Laser-Driven Compression Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Laura Robin; Eggert, J. H.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Bradley, D. K.; Bell, P. M.; Palmer, N. E.; Rygg, J. R.; Boehly, T. R.; Collins, G. W.; Sorce, C.

2017-06-01

Since X-ray diffraction is the most definitive method for identifying crystalline phases of a material, it is an important technique for probing high-energy-density materials during laser-driven compression experiments. We are developing a design for collecting several x-ray diffraction datasets during a single laser-driven experiment, with a goal of achieving temporal resolution better than 1ns. The design combines x-ray streak cameras, for a continuous temporal record of diffraction, with fast x-ray imagers, to collect several diffraction patterns with sufficient solid angle range and resolution to identify crystalline texture. Preliminary experiments will be conducted at the Omega laser and then implemented at the National Ignition Facility. We will describe the status of the conceptual design, highlighting tradeoffs in the design process. We will also discuss the technical issues that must be addressed in order to develop a successful experimental platform. These include: Facility-specific geometric constraints such as unconverted laser light and target alignment; EMP issues when electronic diagnostics are close to the target; X-ray source requirements; and detector capabilities. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, LLNL-ABS-725146.
High Performance Non-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometers for Charge Exchange Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter Frederick; Adams, J.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G. V.; Karkatoua, D.; Kelley, R. L.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Lautenagger, M.

2010-01-01

Currently, the only measurements of cosmological charge exchange have been made using low resolution, non-dispersive spectrometers like the PSPC on ROSAT and the CCD instruments on Chandra and XMM/Newton. However, upcoming cryogenic spectrometers on Astro-H and IXO will add vast new capabilities to investigate charge exchange in local objects such as comets and planetary atmospheres. They may also allow us to observe charge exchange in extra-solar objects such as galactic supernova remnants. With low spectral resolution instruments such as CCDs, x-ray emission due to charge exchange recombination really only provides information on the acceptor species, such as the solar wind. With the new breed of x-ray calorimeter instruments, emission from charge exchange becomes highly diagnostic allowing one to uniquely determine the acceptor species, ionization state, donor species and ionization state, and the relative velocity of the interaction. We will describe x-ray calorimeter instrumentation and its potential for charge exchange measurements in the near term. We will also touch on the instrumentation behind a decade of high resolution measurements of charge exchange using an x-ray calorimeter at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Results from a Grazing Incidence X-Ray Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joy, Marshall K.; Shipley, Ann; Cash, Webster; Carter, James

2000-01-01

A prototype grazing incidence interferometer has been built and tested at EUV and X-ray wavelengths using a 120 meter long vacuum test facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. We describe the design and construction of the interferometer, the EUV and x-ray sources, the detector systems, and compare the interferometric fringe measurements with theoretical predictions. We also describe the next-generation grazing incidence system which is designed to provide laboratory demonstration of key technologies that will be needed for a space-based x-ray interferometer.
The life science X-ray scattering beamline at NSLS-II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DiFabio, Jonathan; Yang, Lin; Chodankar, Shirish

We report the current development status of the High Brightness X-ray Scattering for Life Sciences (or Life Science X-ray Scattering, LiX) beamline at the NSLS-II facility of Brookhaven National Laboratory. This instrument will operate in the x-ray energy range of 2.1-18 keV, provide variable beam sizes from 1 micron to ~0.5 mm, and support user experiments in three scientific areas: (1) high-throughput solution scattering, in-line size exclusion chromatography and flow mixers-based time-resolved solution scattering of biological macro-molecules, (2) diffraction from single- and multi-layered lipid membranes, and (3) scattering-based scanning probe imaging of biological tissues. In order to satisfy the beammore » stability required for these experiments and to switch rapidly between different types of experiments, we have adopted a secondary source with refractive lenses for secondary focusing, a detector system consisting of three Pilatus detectors, and specialized experimental modules that can be quickly exchanged and each dedicated to a defined set of experiments. The construction of this beamline is on schedule for completion in September 2015. User experiments are expected to start in Spring 2016.« less
The life science X-ray scattering beamline at NSLS-II

DOE PAGES

DiFabio, Jonathan; Yang, Lin; Chodankar, Shirish; ...

2015-09-30

We report the current development status of the High Brightness X-ray Scattering for Life Sciences (or Life Science X-ray Scattering, LiX) beamline at the NSLS-II facility of Brookhaven National Laboratory. This instrument will operate in the x-ray energy range of 2.1-18 keV, provide variable beam sizes from 1 micron to ~0.5 mm, and support user experiments in three scientific areas: (1) high-throughput solution scattering, in-line size exclusion chromatography and flow mixers-based time-resolved solution scattering of biological macro-molecules, (2) diffraction from single- and multi-layered lipid membranes, and (3) scattering-based scanning probe imaging of biological tissues. In order to satisfy the beammore » stability required for these experiments and to switch rapidly between different types of experiments, we have adopted a secondary source with refractive lenses for secondary focusing, a detector system consisting of three Pilatus detectors, and specialized experimental modules that can be quickly exchanged and each dedicated to a defined set of experiments. The construction of this beamline is on schedule for completion in September 2015. User experiments are expected to start in Spring 2016.« less
The life science x-ray scattering beamline at NSLS-II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DiFabio, Jonathan; Chodankar, Shirish; Pjerov, Sal

We report the current development status of the High Brightness X-ray Scattering for Life Sciences (or Life Science X-ray Scattering, LiX) beamline at the NSLS-II facility of Brookhaven National Laboratory. This instrument will operate in the x-ray energy range of 2.1-18 keV, provide variable beam sizes from 1 micron to ∼0.5 mm, and support user experiments in three scientific areas: (1) high-throughput solution scattering, in-line size exclusion chromatography and flow mixers-based time-resolved solution scattering of biological macro-molecules, (2) diffraction from single- and multi-layered lipid membranes, and (3) scattering-based scanning probe imaging of biological tissues. In order to satisfy the beammore » stability required for these experiments and to switch rapidly between different types of experiments, we have adopted a secondary source with refractive lenses for secondary focusing, a detector system consisting of three Pilatus detectors, and specialized experimental modules that can be quickly exchanged and each dedicated to a defined set of experiments. The construction of this beamline is on schedule for completion in September 2015. User experiments are expected to start in Spring 2016.« less
Technology enablers for improved aerospace x-ray NDE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strabel, George; Ross, Joseph; Graham, Larry; Smith, Kevin

1996-11-01

In the current climate of reduced Military spending and lower commercial demand for aerospace products, it is of critical importance to allocate scarce technology development resources to meet projected needs. During the past decade, dramatic advances in x-ray nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology have results in commercially viable digital radiography (DR) and computed tomography (CT) systems. X-ray CT has become an important NDE technique that not only provides data about material integrity, but also valuable volumetric data which is finding applications in reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, process control and 3D metrology. Industrial DR and CT systems have been available for almost 10 years, but are very costly, generally designed for specific applications and have well known limitations for both process development and final inspection. They have inadequate energy/flux to penetrate many large components and structures. In order to support the US Aerospace Industry in its drive towards global competitiveness, it is imperative that key enabling tools such as DR and CT be improved, made affordable, and implemented to meet the anticipated needs of the next decade of aerospace applications. This paper describes a strategy for a consortium of suppliers and users of x-ray NDE systems, academia and national laboratories to work together to attain this goal.
Kinetic Modeling of Ultraintense X-ray Laser-Matter Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royle, Ryan; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Mancini, Roberto

2016-10-01

Hard x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) have had a profound impact on the physical, chemical, and biological sciences. They can produce millijoule x-ray laser pulses just tens of femtoseconds in duration with more than 1012 photons each, making them the brightest laboratory x-ray sources ever produced by several orders of magnitude. An XFEL pulse can be intensified to 1020 W/cm2 when focused to submicron spot sizes, making it possible to isochorically heat solid matter well beyond 100 eV. These characteristics enable XFELs to create and probe well-characterized warm and hot dense plasmas of relevance to HED science, planetary science, laboratory astrophysics, relativistic laser plasmas, and fusion research. Several newly developed atomic physics models including photoionization, Auger ionization, and continuum-lowering have been implemented in a particle-in-cell code, PICLS, which self-consistently solves the x-ray transport, to enable the simulation of the non-LTE plasmas created by ultraintense x-ray laser interactions with solid density matter. The code is validated against the results of several recent experiments and is used to simulate the maximum-intensity x-ray heating of solid iron targets. This work was supported by DOE/OFES under Contract No. DE-SC0008827.
Three-dimensional x-ray diffraction nanoscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikulin, Andrei Y.; Dilanian, Ruben A.; Zatsepin, Nadia A.; Muddle, Barry C.

2008-08-01

A novel approach to x-ray diffraction data analysis for non-destructive determination of the shape of nanoscale particles and clusters in three-dimensions is illustrated with representative examples of composite nanostructures. The technique is insensitive to the x-rays coherence, which allows 3D reconstruction of a modal image without tomographic synthesis and in-situ analysis of large (over a several cubic millimeters) volume of material with a spatial resolution of few nanometers, rendering the approach suitable for laboratory facilities.
Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimatedmore » to be ∼8 J cm{sup −2}. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking.” Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10{sup 19} cm{sup −2} Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less
X-ray characterization of a multichannel smart-pixel array detector.

PubMed

Ross, Steve; Haji-Sheikh, Michael; Huntington, Andrew; Kline, David; Lee, Adam; Li, Yuelin; Rhee, Jehyuk; Tarpley, Mary; Walko, Donald A; Westberg, Gregg; Williams, George; Zou, Haifeng; Landahl, Eric

2016-01-01

The Voxtel VX-798 is a prototype X-ray pixel array detector (PAD) featuring a silicon sensor photodiode array of 48 × 48 pixels, each 130 µm × 130 µm × 520 µm thick, coupled to a CMOS readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The first synchrotron X-ray characterization of this detector is presented, and its ability to selectively count individual X-rays within two independent arrival time windows, a programmable energy range, and localized to a single pixel is demonstrated. During our first trial run at Argonne National Laboratory's Advance Photon Source, the detector achieved a 60 ns gating time and 700 eV full width at half-maximum energy resolution in agreement with design parameters. Each pixel of the PAD holds two independent digital counters, and the discriminator for X-ray energy features both an upper and lower threshold to window the energy of interest discarding unwanted background. This smart-pixel technology allows energy and time resolution to be set and optimized in software. It is found that the detector linearity follows an isolated dead-time model, implying that megahertz count rates should be possible in each pixel. Measurement of the line and point spread functions showed negligible spatial blurring. When combined with the timing structure of the synchrotron storage ring, it is demonstrated that the area detector can perform both picosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements.
Soft x-ray holographic tomography for biological specimens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hongyi; Chen, Jianwen; Xie, Honglan; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan; Jiang, Shiping; Zhang, Yuxuan

2003-10-01

In this paper, we present some experimental results on X -ray holography, holographic tomography, and a new holographic tomography method called pre-amplified holographic tomography is proposed. Due to the shorter wavelength and the larger penetration depths, X-rays provide the potential of higher resolution in imaging techniques, and have the ability to image intact, living, hydrated cells w ithout slicing, dehydration, chemical fixation or stain. Recently, using X-ray source in National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory in Hefei, we have successfully performed some soft X-ray holography experiments on biological specimen. The specimens used in the experiments was the garlic clove epidermis, we got their X-ray hologram, and then reconstructed them by computer programs, the feature of the cell walls, the nuclei and some cytoplasm were clearly resolved. However, there still exist some problems in realization of practical 3D microscopic imaging due to the near-unity refractive index of the matter. There is no X-ray optics having a sufficient high numerical aperture to achieve a depth resolution that is comparable to the transverse resolution. On the other hand, computer tomography needs a record of hundreds of views of the test object at different angles for high resolution. This is because the number of views required for a densely packed object is equal to the object radius divided by the desired depth resolution. Clearly, it is impractical for a radiation-sensitive biological specimen. Moreover, the X-ray diffraction effect makes projection data blur, this badly degrades the resolution of the reconstructed image. In order to observe 3D structure of the biological specimens, McNulty proposed a new method for 3D imaging called "holographic tomography (HT)" in which several holograms of the specimen are recorded from various illumination directions and combined in the reconstruction step. This permits the specimens to be sampled over a wide range of spatial
Lab-based x-ray nanoCT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Mark; Allner, Sebastian; Ferstl, Simone; Dierolf, Martin; Tuohimaa, Tomi; Pfeiffer, Franz

2017-03-01

Due to the recent development of transmission X-ray tubes with very small focal spot sizes, laboratory-based CT imaging with sub-micron resolutions is nowadays possible. We recently developed a novel X-ray nanoCT setup featuring a prototype nanofocus X-ray source and a single-photon counting detector. The system is based on mere geometrical magnification and can reach resolutions of 200 nm. To demonstrate the potential of the nanoCT system for biomedical applications we show high resolution nanoCT data of a small piece of human tooth comprising coronal dentin. The reconstructed CT data clearly visualize the dentin tubules within the tooth piece.
X-Ray Thomson Scattering and Radiography from Spherical Implosions on the OMEGA Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunders, A. M.; Laziki-Jenei, A.; Doeppner, T.; Landen, O. L.; MacDonald, M.; Nilsen, J.; Swift, D.; Falcone, R. W.

2017-10-01

X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) is an experimental technique that directly probes the physics of warm dense matter by measuring electron density, electron temperature, and ionization state. XRTS in combination with x-ray radiography offers a unique ability to measure an absolute equation of state (EOS) from material under compression. Recent experiments highlight uncertainties in EOS models and the predicted ionization of compressed matter, suggesting more validation of models is needed. We present XRTS and x-ray radiography measurements taken at the OMEGA Laser Facility from directly-driven solid carbon spheres at densities on the order of 1x1024 g cm-3 and temperatures on the order of 30 eV. The results shed light on the equations of state of matter under compression. This work performed under auspices of the US Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and under the Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship, Grant Number DE- NA0002135.
Standard design for National Ignition Facility x-ray streak and framing cameras.

PubMed

Kimbrough, J R; Bell, P M; Bradley, D K; Holder, J P; Kalantar, D K; MacPhee, A G; Telford, S

2010-10-01

The x-ray streak camera and x-ray framing camera for the National Ignition Facility were redesigned to improve electromagnetic pulse hardening, protect high voltage circuits from pressure transients, and maximize the use of common parts and operational software. Both instruments use the same PC104 based controller, interface, power supply, charge coupled device camera, protective hermetically sealed housing, and mechanical interfaces. Communication is over fiber optics with identical facility hardware for both instruments. Each has three triggers that can be either fiber optic or coax. High voltage protection consists of a vacuum sensor to enable the high voltage and pulsed microchannel plate phosphor voltage. In the streak camera, the high voltage is removed after the sweep. Both rely on the hardened aluminum box and a custom power supply to reduce electromagnetic pulse/electromagnetic interference (EMP/EMI) getting into the electronics. In addition, the streak camera has an EMP/EMI shield enclosing the front of the streak tube.

High Resolution X-ray Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cash, Webster

2002-01-01

NAG5-5020 covered a period of 7.5 years during which a great deal of progress was made in x-ray optical techniques under this grant. We survived peer review numerous times during the effort to keep the grant going. In 1994, when the grant started we were actively pursuing the application of spherical mirrors to improving x-ray telescopes. We had found that x-ray detectors were becoming rapidly more sophisticated and affordable, but that x-ray telescopes were only being improved through the intense application of money within the AXAF program. Clearly new techniques for the future were needed. We were successful in developing and testing at the HELSTF facility in New Mexico a four reflection coma-corrected telescope made from spheres. We were able to demonstrate 0.3 arcsecond resolution, almost to the diffraction limit of the system. The community as a whole was, at that time, not particularly interested in looking past AXAF (Chandra) and the effort needed to evolve. Since we had reached the diffraction limit using non-Wolter optics we then decided to see if we could build an x-ray interferometer in the laboratory. In the lab the potential for improved resolution was substantial. If synthetic aperture telescopes could be built in space, then orders of magnitude improvement would become feasible. In 1998 NASA, under the direction of Dr Nick White of Goddard, started a study to assess the potential and feasibility of x-ray interferometry in space. My work became of central interest to the committee because it indicated that such was possible. In early 1999 we had the breakthrough that allowed us build a practical interferometer. By using flats and hooking up with the Marshall Space Flight Center facilities we were able to demonstrate fringes at 1.25keV on a one millimeter baseline. This actual laboratory demonstration provided the solid proof of concept that NASA needed. As the year progressed the future of x-ray astronomy jelled around the Maxim program. Maxim is a
PROCEEDING OF THE SEEDED X-RAY FREE ELECTRON LASER WORKSHOP.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

WANG,X.J.; MURPHY,J.B.; YU,L.H.

2002-12-13

The underlying theory of a high gain free electron laser (FEL) has existed for two decades [1-2], but it is only in the last few years that these novel radiation sources have been realized experimentally. Several high gain FELs have successfully reached saturation in the infrared, visible and the VUV portion of the spectrum: the High Gain Harmonic Generation (HGHG) free electron lasers [3] at BNL and the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) FELs at LEUTL, VISA and TTF [4-6]. The outstanding challenges for future FELs are to extend high gain FELs to the X-ray regime, improve the longitudinal coherencemore » of the radiation using seeded FEL schemes and generate ultrashort pulses (<100 fs). The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) of the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) sponsored a Seeded X-ray Free Electron Laser Workshop on December 13-14, 2002 to explore these challenging issues. Representatives from BNL, DESY, LBNL, SLAC and UCLA made presentations on the novel schemes under consideration at their laboratories. Workshop participants had a lively discussion on the feasibility, performance and R&D issues associated with the seeded XFEL schemes. An improvement of the electron beam quality will certainly be necessary to drive the XFEL. Self-seeding SASE, cascaded HGHG, and SASE pulse compression FELs show the most promise for producing short pulse X-rays. Of these, only the self-seeded and HGHG schemes generate longitudinally coherent radiation. While the pulse length in the self-seeded scheme is determined by the electron bunch length ({approx}100 fs), the pulse length in the HGHG scheme is determined by the short pulse seed laser, and so can be much shorter ({approx} 20 fs).« less
Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure
Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

PubMed Central

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J.; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A.; Sheedlo, Michael J.; Chowdhury, Azhad U.; Fischetti, Robert F.; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T.; Bouman, Charles A.; Simpson, Garth J.

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by
Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning.

PubMed

Scarborough, Nicole M; Godaliyadda, G M Dilshan P; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A; Sheedlo, Michael J; Chowdhury, Azhad U; Fischetti, Robert F; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T; Bouman, Charles A; Simpson, Garth J

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by
Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE PAGES

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; ...

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-03-16

This photo shows the High Resolution Camera (HRC) for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), being integrated with the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) in Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) 24-foot Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most poweful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRC is one of the two instruments used at the focus of CXO, where it will detect x-rays reflected from an assembly of eight mirrors. The unique capabilities of the HRC stem from the close match of its imaging capability to the focusing of the mirrors. When used with CXO mirrors, the HRC makes images that reveal detail as small as one-half an arc second. This is equivalent to the ability to read a newspaper at a distance of 1 kilometer. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components relatedto x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
History of Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-03-16

This photo shows the High Resolution Camera (HRC) for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), formerly Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), being integrated with the High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA) in Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) 24-foot Vacuum Chamber at the X-Ray Calibration Facility (XRCF). The AXAF was renamed CXO in 1999. The CXO is the most sophisticated and the world's most powerful x-ray telescope ever built. It observes x-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. The HRC is one of the two instruments used at the focus of CXO, where it will detect x-rays reflected from an assembly of eight mirrors. The unique capabilities of the HRC stem from the close match of its imaging capability to the focusing of the mirrors. When used with CXO mirrors, the HRC makes images that reveal detail as small as one-half an arc second. This is equivalent to the ability to read a newspaper at a distance of 1 kilometer. MSFC's XRCF is the world's largest, most advanced laboratory for simulating x-ray emissions from distant celestial objects. It produces a space-like environment in which components related to x-ray telescope imaging are tested and the quality of their performances in space is predicted. TRW, Inc. was the prime contractor for the development of the CXO and NASA's MSFC was responsible for its project management. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations of the CXO for NASA from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The CXO was launched July 22, 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93).
X-ray insights into star and planet formation

PubMed Central

Feigelson, Eric D.

2010-01-01

Although stars and planets form in cold environments, X-rays are produced in abundance by young stars. This review examines the implications of stellar X-rays for star and planet formation studies, highlighting the contributions of NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Chandra X-ray Observatory. Seven topics are covered: X-rays from protostellar outflow shocks, X-rays from the youngest protostars, the stellar initial mass function, the structure of young stellar clusters, the fate of massive stellar winds, X-ray irradiation of protoplanetary disks, and X-ray flare effects on ancient meteorites. Chandra observations of star-forming regions often show dramatic star clusters, powerful magnetic reconnection flares, and parsec-scale diffuse plasma. X-ray selected samples of premain sequence stars significantly advance studies of star cluster formation, the stellar initial mass function, triggered star-formation processes, and protoplanetary disk evolution. Although X-rays themselves may not play a critical role in the physics of star formation, they likely have important effects on protoplanetary disks by heating and ionizing disk gases. PMID:20404197
X-ray insights into star and planet formation.

PubMed

Feigelson, Eric D

2010-04-20

Although stars and planets form in cold environments, X-rays are produced in abundance by young stars. This review examines the implications of stellar X-rays for star and planet formation studies, highlighting the contributions of NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Chandra X-ray Observatory. Seven topics are covered: X-rays from protostellar outflow shocks, X-rays from the youngest protostars, the stellar initial mass function, the structure of young stellar clusters, the fate of massive stellar winds, X-ray irradiation of protoplanetary disks, and X-ray flare effects on ancient meteorites. Chandra observations of star-forming regions often show dramatic star clusters, powerful magnetic reconnection flares, and parsec-scale diffuse plasma. X-ray selected samples of premain sequence stars significantly advance studies of star cluster formation, the stellar initial mass function, triggered star-formation processes, and protoplanetary disk evolution. Although X-rays themselves may not play a critical role in the physics of star formation, they likely have important effects on protoplanetary disks by heating and ionizing disk gases.
Electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma characterization by X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mascali, David, E-mail: davidmascali@lns.infn.it; Castro, Giuseppe; Celona, Luigi

2016-02-15

An experimental campaign aiming to investigate electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma X-ray emission has been recently carried out at the ECRISs—Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources laboratory of Atomki based on a collaboration between the Debrecen and Catania ECR teams. In a first series, the X-ray spectroscopy was performed through silicon drift detectors and high purity germanium detectors, characterizing the volumetric plasma emission. The on-purpose developed collimation system was suitable for direct plasma density evaluation, performed “on-line” during beam extraction and charge state distribution characterization. A campaign for correlating the plasma density and temperature with the output charge states and themore » beam intensity for different pumping wave frequencies, different magnetic field profiles, and single-gas/gas-mixing configurations was carried out. The results reveal a surprisingly very good agreement between warm-electron density fluctuations, output beam currents, and the calculated electromagnetic modal density of the plasma chamber. A charge-coupled device camera coupled to a small pin-hole allowing X-ray imaging was installed and numerous X-ray photos were taken in order to study the peculiarities of the ECRIS plasma structure.« less
Laboratory x-ray micro-computed tomography: a user guideline for biological samples

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract Laboratory x-ray micro–computed tomography (micro-CT) is a fast-growing method in scientific research applications that allows for non-destructive imaging of morphological structures. This paper provides an easily operated “how to” guide for new potential users and describes the various steps required for successful planning of research projects that involve micro-CT. Background information on micro-CT is provided, followed by relevant setup, scanning, reconstructing, and visualization methods and considerations. Throughout the guide, a Jackson's chameleon specimen, which was scanned at different settings, is used as an interactive example. The ultimate aim of this paper is make new users familiar with the concepts and applications of micro-CT in an attempt to promote its use in future scientific studies. PMID:28419369
Trace element abundance determinations by Synchrotron X Ray Fluorescence (SXRF) on returned comet nucleus mineral grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flynn, G. J.; Sutton, S. R.

1989-01-01

Trace element analyses were performed on bulk cosmic dust particles by Proton Induced X Ray Emission (PIXE) and Synchrotron X Ray Fluorescence (SXRF). When present at or near chondritic abundances the trace elements K, Ti, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Se, and Br are presently detectable by SXRF in particles of 20 micron diameter. Improvements to the SXRF analysis facility at the National Synchrotron Light Source presently underway should increase the range of detectable elements and permit the analysis of smaller samples. In addition the Advanced Photon Source will be commissioned at Argonne National Laboratory in 1995. This 7 to 8 GeV positron storage ring, specifically designed for high-energy undulator and wiggler insertion devices, will be an ideal source for an x ray microprobe with one micron spatial resolution and better than 100 ppb elemental sensitivity for most elements. Thus trace element analysis of individual micron-sized grains should be possible by the time of the comet nucleus sample return mission.
Fabrication of high-resolution x-ray diffractive optics at King's College London

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charalambous, Pambos S.; Anastasi, Peter A. F.; Burge, Ronald E.; Popova, Katia

1995-09-01

The fabrication of high resolution x-ray diffractive optics, and Fresnel zone plates (ZPs) in particular, is a very demanding multifaceted technological task. The commissioning of more (and brighter) synchrotron radiation sources, has increased the number of x-ray imaging beam lines world wide. The availability of cheaper and more effective laboratory x-ray sources, has further increased the number of laboratories involved in x-ray imaging. The result is an ever increasing demand for x-ray optics with a very wide range of specifications, reflecting the particular type of x-ray imaging performed at different laboratories. We have been involved in all aspects of high resolution nanofabrication for a number of years, and we have explored many different methods of lithography, which, although unorthodox, open up possibilities, and increase our flexibility for the fabrication of different diffractive optical elements, as well as other types of nanostructures. The availability of brighter x-ray sources, means that the diffraction efficiency of the ZPs is becoming of secondary importance, a trend which will continue in the future. Resolution, however, is important and will always remain so. Resolution is directly related to the accuracy af pattern generation, as well as the ability to draw fine lines. This is the area towards which we have directed most of our efforts so far.
In-Line Phase-Contrast X-ray Imaging and Tomography for Materials Science

PubMed Central

Mayo, Sheridan C.; Stevenson, Andrew W.; Wilkins, Stephen W.

2012-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography make use of the refraction of X-rays by the sample in image formation. This provides considerable additional information in the image compared to conventional X-ray imaging methods, which rely solely on X-ray absorption by the sample. Phase-contrast imaging highlights edges and internal boundaries of a sample and is thus complementary to absorption contrast, which is more sensitive to the bulk of the sample. Phase-contrast can also be used to image low-density materials, which do not absorb X-rays sufficiently to form a conventional X-ray image. In the context of materials science, X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography have particular value in the 2D and 3D characterization of low-density materials, the detection of cracks and voids and the analysis of composites and multiphase materials where the different components have similar X-ray attenuation coefficients. Here we review the use of phase-contrast imaging and tomography for a wide variety of materials science characterization problems using both synchrotron and laboratory sources and further demonstrate the particular benefits of phase contrast in the laboratory setting with a series of case studies. PMID:28817018
In-Line Phase-Contrast X-ray Imaging and Tomography for Materials Science.

PubMed

Mayo, Sheridan C; Stevenson, Andrew W; Wilkins, Stephen W

2012-05-24

X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography make use of the refraction of X-rays by the sample in image formation. This provides considerable additional information in the image compared to conventional X-ray imaging methods, which rely solely on X-ray absorption by the sample. Phase-contrast imaging highlights edges and internal boundaries of a sample and is thus complementary to absorption contrast, which is more sensitive to the bulk of the sample. Phase-contrast can also be used to image low-density materials, which do not absorb X-rays sufficiently to form a conventional X-ray image. In the context of materials science, X-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography have particular value in the 2D and 3D characterization of low-density materials, the detection of cracks and voids and the analysis of composites and multiphase materials where the different components have similar X-ray attenuation coefficients. Here we review the use of phase-contrast imaging and tomography for a wide variety of materials science characterization problems using both synchrotron and laboratory sources and further demonstrate the particular benefits of phase contrast in the laboratory setting with a series of case studies.
X-Ray Laser Gets First Real-Time Snapshots of a Chemical Flipping a Biological Switch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-11-14

Scientists have used the powerful X-ray laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to make the first snapshots of a chemical interaction between two biomolecules – one that flips an RNA “switch” that regulates production of proteins, the workhorse molecules of life. The results, published in Nature, show the game-changing potential of X-ray free-electron lasers, or XFELs, for studying RNA, which guides protein manufacturing in the cell, serves as the primary genetic material in retroviruses such as HIV and also plays a role in most forms of cancer.
High-spatial-resolution nanoparticle x-ray fluorescence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, Jakob C.; Vâgberg, William; Vogt, Carmen; Lundström, Ulf; Larsson, Daniel H.; Hertz, Hans M.

2016-03-01

X-ray fluorescence tomography (XFCT) has potential for high-resolution 3D molecular x-ray bio-imaging. In this technique the fluorescence signal from targeted nanoparticles (NPs) is measured, providing information about the spatial distribution and concentration of the NPs inside the object. However, present laboratory XFCT systems typically have limited spatial resolution (>1 mm) and suffer from long scan times and high radiation dose even at high NP concentrations, mainly due to low efficiency and poor signal-to-noise ratio. We have developed a laboratory XFCT system with high spatial resolution (sub-100 μm), low NP concentration and vastly decreased scan times and dose, opening up the possibilities for in-vivo small-animal imaging research. The system consists of a high-brightness liquid-metal-jet microfocus x-ray source, x-ray focusing optics and an energy-resolving photon-counting detector. By using the source's characteristic 24 keV line-emission together with carefully matched molybdenum nanoparticles the Compton background is greatly reduced, increasing the SNR. Each measurement provides information about the spatial distribution and concentration of the Mo nanoparticles. A filtered back-projection method is used to produce the final XFCT image.
A user-friendly LabVIEW software platform for grating based X-ray phase-contrast imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Shenghao; Han, Huajie; Gao, Kun; Wang, Zhili; Zhang, Can; Yang, Meng; Wu, Zhao; Wu, Ziyu

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging can provide greatly improved contrast over conventional absorption-based imaging for weakly absorbing samples, such as biological soft tissues and fibre composites. In this study, we introduced an easy and fast way to develop a user-friendly software platform dedicated to the new grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging setup at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory of the University of Science and Technology of China. The control of 21 motorized stages, of a piezoelectric stage and of an X-ray tube are achieved with this software, it also covers image acquisition with a flat panel detector for automatic phase stepping scan. Moreover, a data post-processing module for signals retrieval and other custom features are in principle available. With a seamless integration of all the necessary functions in one software package, this platform greatly facilitate users' activities during experimental runs with this grating based X-ray phase contrast imaging setup.
X-Rays

MedlinePlus

X-rays are a type of radiation called electromagnetic waves. X-ray imaging creates pictures of the inside of ... different amounts of radiation. Calcium in bones absorbs x-rays the most, so bones look white. Fat ...

Laboratory Measurements of Solar-Wind/Comet X-Ray Emission and Charge Exchange Cross Sections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chutjian, A.; Cadez, I.; Greenwood, J. B.; Mawhorter, R. J.; Smith, S. J.; Lozano, J.

2002-01-01

The detection of X-rays from comets such as Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, d Arrest, and Linear as they approach the Sun has been unexpected and exciting. This phenomenon, moreover, should be quite general, occurring wherever a fast solar or stellar wind interacts with neutrals in a comet, a planetary atmosphere, or a circumstellar cloud. The process is, O(+8) + H2O --> O(+7*) + H2O(+), where the excited O(+7*) ions are the source of the X-ray emissions. Detailed modeling has been carried out of X-ray emissions in charge-transfer collisions of heavy solar-wind Highly Charged Ions (HCIs) and interstellar/interplanetary neutral clouds. In the interplanetary medium the solar wind ions, including protons, can charge exchange with interstellar H and He. This can give rise to a soft X-ray background that could be correlated with the long-term enhancements seen in the low-energy X-ray spectrum of ROSAT. Approximately 40% of the soft X-ray background detected by Exosat, ROSAT, Chandra, etc. is due to Charge Exchange (CXE): our whole heliosphere is glowing in the soft X-ray due to CXE.
A novel x-ray circularly polarized ranging method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Shi-Bin; Xu, Lu-Ping; Zhang, Hua; Gao, Na; Shen, Yang-He

2015-05-01

Range measurement has found multiple applications in deep space missions. With more and further deep space exploration activities happening now and in the future, the requirement for range measurement has risen. In view of the future ranging requirement, a novel x-ray polarized ranging method based on the circular polarization modulation is proposed, termed as x-ray circularly polarized ranging (XCPolR). XCPolR utilizes the circular polarization modulation to process x-ray signals and the ranging information is conveyed by the circular polarization states. As the circular polarization states present good stability in space propagation and x-ray detectors have light weight and low power consumption, XCPolR shows great potential in the long-distance range measurement and provides an option for future deep space ranging. In this paper, we present a detailed illustration of XCPolR. Firstly, the structure of the polarized ranging system is described and the signal models in the ranging process are established mathematically. Then, the main factors that affect the ranging accuracy, including the Doppler effect, the differential demodulation, and the correlation error, are analyzed theoretically. Finally, numerical simulation is carried out to evaluate the performance of XCPolR. Projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61172138 and 61401340), the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (Grant No. 2013JQ8040), the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20130203120004), the Open Research Fund of the Academy of Satellite Application, China (Grant No. 2014 CXJJ-DH 12), the Xi’an Science and Technology Plan, China (Grant No. CXY1350(4)), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant Nos. 201413B, 201412B, and JB141303), and the Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Precision Navigation and Timing Technology, National Time Service Center, Chinese
FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MERCURY IN SOIL AND SEDIMENT NITON'S XLI/XLT 700 SERIES X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYZER

EPA Science Inventory

NITON's XL-700 Series X-ray fluorescence analyzers were demonstrated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program in May 2003 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the Demonstration...
Using X-ray Thomson Scattering to Characterize Highly Compressed, Near-Degenerate Plasmas at the NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doeppner, Tilo; Kraus, D.; Neumayer, P.; Bachmann, B.; Divol, L.; Kritcher, A. L.; Landen, O. L.; Fletcher, L.; Glenzer, S. H.; Falcone, R. W.; MacDonald, M. J.; Saunders, A.; Witte, B.; Redmer, R.; Chapman, D.; Baggott, R.; Gericke, D. O.; Yi, S. A.

2017-10-01

We are developing x-ray Thomson scattering for implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility to characterize plasma conditions in plastic and beryllium capsules near stagnation, reaching more than 20x compression and electron densities of 1025 cm-3, corresponding to a Fermi energy of 170 eV. Using a zinc He- α x-ray source at 9 keV, experiments at a large scattering angle of 120° measure non-collective scattering spectra with high sensitivity to K-shell ionization, and find higher charge states than predicted by widely used ionization models. Reducing the scattering angle to 30° probes the collective scattering regime with sensitivity to collisions and conductivity. We will discuss recent results and future plans. This work was performed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Laboratory Scale X-ray Fluorescence Tomography: Instrument Characterization and Application in Earth and Environmental Science.

PubMed

Laforce, Brecht; Vermeulen, Bram; Garrevoet, Jan; Vekemans, Bart; Van Hoorebeke, Luc; Janssen, Colin; Vincze, Laszlo

2016-03-15

A new laboratory scale X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging instrument, based on an X-ray microfocus tube equipped with a monocapillary optic, has been developed to perform XRF computed tomography experiments with both higher spatial resolution (20 μm) and a better energy resolution (130 eV @Mn-K(α)) than has been achieved up-to-now. This instrument opens a new range of possible applications for XRF-CT. Next to the analytical characterization of the setup by using well-defined model/reference samples, demonstrating its capabilities for tomographic imaging, the XRF-CT microprobe has been used to image the interior of an ecotoxicological model organism, Americamysis bahia. This had been exposed to elevated metal (Cu and Ni) concentrations. The technique allowed the visualization of the accumulation sites of copper, clearly indicating the affected organs, i.e. either the gastric system or the hepatopancreas. As another illustrative application, the scanner has been employed to investigate goethite spherules from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, revealing the internal elemental distribution of these valuable distal ejecta layer particles.
Fabrication of imaging X-ray optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catura, R. C.; Joki, E. G.; Brookover, W. J.

The design, fabrication, and performance of optics for X-ray astronomy and laboratory applications are described and illustrated with diagrams, drawings, graphs, photographs, and sample images. Particular attention is given to the Wolter I telescope developed for spectroscopic observation of 8-30-A cosmic X-ray sources from a rocketborne X-ray Objective Grating Spectrometer; this instrument employs three nested paraboloid-hyperboloid mirrors of 5083 Al alloy, figured by diamond turning and covered with a thin coating of acrylic lacquer prior to deposition of a 40-nm-thick layer of Sn. In calibration tests at NASA Marshall, the FWHM of the line-spread function at 1.33 nm was found to be 240 microns, corresponding to 21 arcsec. Also presented are the results of reflectivity measurements on C and W multilayers sputtered on Si and fusion glass substrates.
Design Considerations of a Virtual Laboratory for Advanced X-ray Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luginsland, J. W.; Frese, M. H.; Frese, S. D.; Watrous, J. J.; Heileman, G. L.

2004-11-01

The field of scientific computation has greatly advanced in the last few years, resulting in the ability to perform complex computer simulations that can predict the performance of real-world experiments in a number of fields of study. Among the forces driving this new computational capability is the advent of parallel algorithms, allowing calculations in three-dimensional space with realistic time scales. Electromagnetic radiation sources driven by high-voltage, high-current electron beams offer an area to further push the state-of-the-art in high fidelity, first-principles simulation tools. The physics of these x-ray sources combine kinetic plasma physics (electron beams) with dense fluid-like plasma physics (anode plasmas) and x-ray generation (bremsstrahlung). There are a number of mature techniques and software packages for dealing with the individual aspects of these sources, such as Particle-In-Cell (PIC), Magneto-Hydrodynamics (MHD), and radiation transport codes. The current effort is focused on developing an object-oriented software environment using the Rational© Unified Process and the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to provide a framework where multiple 3D parallel physics packages, such as a PIC code (ICEPIC), a MHD code (MACH), and a x-ray transport code (ITS) can co-exist in a system-of-systems approach to modeling advanced x-ray sources. Initial software design and assessments of the various physics algorithms' fidelity will be presented.
High pressure single-crystal micro X-ray diffraction analysis with GSE_ADA/RSV software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dera, Przemyslaw; Zhuravlev, Kirill; Prakapenka, Vitali; Rivers, Mark L.; Finkelstein, Gregory J.; Grubor-Urosevic, Ognjen; Tschauner, Oliver; Clark, Simon M.; Downs, Robert T.

2013-08-01

GSE_ADA/RSV is a free software package for custom analysis of single-crystal micro X-ray diffraction (SCμXRD) data, developed with particular emphasis on data from samples enclosed in diamond anvil cells and subject to high pressure conditions. The package has been in extensive use at the high pressure beamlines of Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory and Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The software is optimized for processing of wide-rotation images and includes a variety of peak intensity corrections and peak filtering features, which are custom-designed to make processing of high pressure SCμXRD easier and more reliable.
High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre; Yildirim, Ali Önder; Hertz, Hans M.

2016-12-01

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-power small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. The tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.
X-ray Pulsar Navigation Algorithms and Testbed for SEXTANT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winternitz, Luke M. B.; Hasouneh, Monther A.; Mitchell, Jason W.; Valdez, Jennifer E.; Price, Samuel R.; Semper, Sean R.; Yu, Wayne H.; Ray, Paul S.; Wood, Kent S.; Arzoumanian, Zaven;

2015-01-01

The Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) is a NASA funded technologydemonstration. SEXTANT will, for the first time, demonstrate real-time, on-board X-ray Pulsar-based Navigation (XNAV), a significant milestone in the quest to establish a GPS-like navigation capability available throughout our Solar System and beyond. This paper describes the basic design of the SEXTANT system with a focus on core models and algorithms, and the design and continued development of the GSFC X-ray Navigation Laboratory Testbed (GXLT) with its dynamic pulsar emulation capability. We also present early results from GXLT modeling of the combined NICER X-ray timing instrument hardware and SEXTANT flight software algorithms.

Atomic Data in X-Ray Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brickhouse, N. S.

2000-01-01

With the launches of the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and the X-ray Multimirror Mission (XMM) and the upcoming launch of the Japanese mission ASTRO-E, high resolution X-ray spectroscopy of cosmic sources has begun. Early, deep observations of three stellar coronal sources will provide not only invaluable calibration data, but will also give us benchmarks for the atomic data under collisional equilibrium conditions. Analysis of the Chandra X-ray Observatory data, and data from other telescopes taken simultaneously, for these stars is ongoing as part of the Emission Line Project. Goals of the Emission Line Project are: (1) to determine and verify accurate and robust diagnostics and (2) to identify and prioritize issues in fundamental spectroscopy which will require further theoretical and/or laboratory work. The Astrophysical Plasma Emission Database will be described in some detail, as it is introducing standardization and flexibility into X-ray spectral modeling. Spectral models of X-ray astrophysical plasmas can be generally classified as dominated by either collisional ionization or by X-ray photoionization. While the atomic data needs for spectral models under these two types of ionization are significantly different, there axe overlapping data needs, as I will describe. Early results from the Emission Line Project benchmarks are providing an invaluable starting place, but continuing work to improve the accuracy and completeness of atomic data is needed. Additionally, we consider the possibility that some sources will require that both collisional ionization and photoionization be taken into account, or that time-dependent ionization be considered. Thus plasma spectral models of general use need to be computed over a wide range of physical conditions.
From Relativistic Electrons to X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumpkin, A. H.; Garson, A. B.; Anastasio, M. A.

2017-10-09

We report the initial demonstrations of the use of single crystals in indirect x-ray imaging for x-ray phase contrast imaging at the Washington University in St. Louis Computational Bioimaging Laboratory (CBL). Based on single Gaussian peak fits to the x-ray images, we observed a four times smaller system point spread function (21 μm (FWHM)) with the 25-mm diameter single crystals than the reference polycrystalline phosphor’s 80-μm value. Potential fiber-optic plate depth-of-focus aspects and 33-μm diameter carbon fiber imaging are also addressed.
Ellipsoidal and parabolic glass capillaries as condensers for x-ray microscopes.

PubMed

Zeng, Xianghui; Duewer, Fred; Feser, Michael; Huang, Carson; Lyon, Alan; Tkachuk, Andrei; Yun, Wenbing

2008-05-01

Single-bounce ellipsoidal and paraboloidal glass capillary focusing optics have been fabricated for use as condenser lenses for both synchrotron and tabletop x-ray microscopes in the x-ray energy range of 2.5-18 keV. The condenser numerical apertures (NAs) of these devices are designed to match the NA of x-ray zone plate objectives, which gives them a great advantage over zone plate condensers in laboratory microscopes. The fabricated condensers have slope errors as low as 20 murad rms. These capillaries provide a uniform hollow-cone illumination with almost full focusing efficiency, which is much higher than what is available with zone plate condensers. Sub-50 nm resolution at 8 keV x-ray energy was achieved by utilizing this high-efficiency condenser in a laboratory microscope based on a rotating anode generator.
Refractive Optics for Hard X-ray Transmission Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, M.; Ahrens, G.; Last, A.; Mohr, J.; Nazmov, V.; Reznikova, E.; Voigt, A.

2011-09-01

For hard x-ray transmission microscopy at photon energies higher than 15 keV we design refractive condenser and imaging elements to be used with synchrotron light sources as well as with x-ray tube sources. The condenser lenses are optimized for low x-ray attenuation—resulting in apertures greater than 1 mm—and homogeneous intensity distribution on the detector plane, whereas the imaging enables high-resolution (<100 nm) full-field imaging. To obtain high image quality at reasonable exposure times, custom-tailored matched pairs of condenser and imaging lenses are being developed. The imaging lenses (compound refractive lenses, CRLs) are made of SU-8 negative resist by deep x-ray lithography. SU-8 shows high radiation stability. The fabrication technique enables high-quality lens structures regarding surface roughness and arrangement precision with arbitrary 2D geometry. To provide point foci, crossed pairs of lenses are used. Condenser lenses have been made utilizing deep x-ray lithographic patterning of thick SU-8 layers, too, whereas in this case, the aperture is limited due to process restrictions. Thus, in terms of large apertures, condenser lenses made of structured and rolled polyimide film are more attractive. Both condenser types, x-ray mosaic lenses and rolled x-ray prism lenses (RXPLs), are considered to be implemented into a microscope setup. The x-ray optical elements mentioned above are characterized with synchrotron radiation and x-ray laboratory sources, respectively.
The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Ramsey, Brian; O'Dell, Stephen; Tennant, Allyn; Elsner, Ronald; Soffitta, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Kolodziejczak, Jeffrey; Kaspi, Victoria; Muleri, Fabio; Marshall, Herman; Matt, Giorgio; Romani, Roger

2016-07-01

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) expands observation space by simultaneously adding polarization measurements to the array of source properties currently measured (energy, time, and location). IXPE will thus open new dimensions for understanding how X-ray emission is produced in astrophysical objects, especially systems under extreme physical conditions—such as neutron stars and black holes. Polarization singularly probes physical anisotropies—ordered magnetic fields, aspheric matter distributions, or general relativistic coupling to black-hole spin—that are not otherwise measurable. Hence, IXPE complements all other investigations in high-energy astrophysics by adding important and relatively unexplored information to the parameter space for studying cosmic X-ray sources and processes, as well as for using extreme astrophysical environments as laboratories for fundamental physics.
LABORATORY EVALUATION OF SIX NEW/MODIFIED PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETERS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LEAD IN CHARACTERIZED PAINT FILMS AND RESEARCH MATERIAL BOARDS (APPENDICES)

EPA Science Inventory

A laboratory study was performed in 1994-1995 to identify and estimate the influence of key characteristics for evaluating the performance of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers. Six new/modified spectrometers, including HNU SEFA-Pb, Metorex X-MET, Niton X-L, Radiat...
High-energy (>70 keV) x-ray conversion efficiency measurement on the ARC laser at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui; Hermann, M. R.; Kalantar, D. H.; Martinez, D. A.; Di Nicola, P.; Tommasini, R.; Landen, O. L.; Alessi, D.; Bowers, M.; Browning, D.; Brunton, G.; Budge, T.; Crane, J.; Di Nicola, J.-M.; Döppner, T.; Dixit, S.; Erbert, G.; Fishler, B.; Halpin, J.; Hamamoto, M.; Heebner, J.; Hernandez, V. J.; Hohenberger, M.; Homoelle, D.; Honig, J.; Hsing, W.; Izumi, N.; Khan, S.; LaFortune, K.; Lawson, J.; Nagel, S. R.; Negres, R. A.; Novikova, L.; Orth, C.; Pelz, L.; Prantil, M.; Rushford, M.; Shaw, M.; Sherlock, M.; Sigurdsson, R.; Wegner, P.; Widmayer, C.; Williams, G. J.; Williams, W.; Whitman, P.; Yang, S.

2017-03-01

The Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) laser system at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is designed to ultimately provide eight beamlets with a pulse duration adjustable from 1 to 30 ps, and energies up to 1.5 kJ per beamlet. Currently, four beamlets have been commissioned. In the first set of 6 commissioning target experiments, the individual beamlets were fired onto gold foil targets with energy up to 1 kJ per beamlet at 20-30 ps pulse length. The x-ray energy distribution and pulse duration were measured, yielding energy conversion efficiencies of 4-9 × 10-4 for x-rays with energies greater than 70 keV. With greater than 3 J of such x-rays, ARC provides a high-precision x-ray backlighting capability for upcoming inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density physics experiments on NIF.
X-Ray Thomson Scattering Without the Chihara Decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magyar, Rudolph; Baczewski, Andrew; Shulenburger, Luke; Hansen, Stephanie B.; Desjarlais, Michael P.; Sandia National Laboratories Collaboration

X-Ray Thomson Scattering is an important experimental technique used in dynamic compression experiments to measure the properties of warm dense matter. The fundamental property probed in these experiments is the electronic dynamic structure factor that is typically modeled using an empirical three-term decomposition (Chihara, J. Phys. F, 1987). One of the crucial assumptions of this decomposition is that the system's electrons can be either classified as bound to ions or free. This decomposition may not be accurate for materials in the warm dense regime. We present unambiguous first principles calculations of the dynamic structure factor independent of the Chihara decomposition that can be used to benchmark these assumptions. Results are generated using a finite-temperature real-time time-dependent density functional theory applied for the first time in these conditions. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
Laboratory Simulation of Frozen Methanol Under X-ray Radiation Field: Relevancies to Astrophysical Ices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrade, Diana; Rocco, Maria Luiza M.; Boechat-Roberty, Heloisa Maria

The origin of complex organic molecules detected in comets, meteorites, star-forming regions and other environments are currently subject of discussion. Depending on the environment, it is dominated by X-rays, UV photons as well as by charged particles, electrons and ions with high or low energies. Every particle will promote a different fragmentation in the molecule and different phenomena in the ice, favoring the formation of an ion species rather than another. To predict the chemical evolution and to quantify the complex organics incorporated into grains or desorbed to the gas phase, it is necessary to establish the main formation route, which can be tested in the laboratories. In this way, the study of the effects of different ionization agents on the ices becomes crucial. Methanol (CH3 OH), the simplest organic alcohol, is an important precursor of more complex prebiotic species and is found abundantly in icy mantles on interstellar and protostellar dust grains. This molecule has been detected through infrared spectroscopy in some astrophysics environments as W33A and RAFGL 7009. Additionally, methanol has been found in comets, as Hale-Bopp, and other solar system bodies, such as the centaur 5145 Pholus. All of these astronomical environments are subjected to some form of ionizing agents such as cosmic rays, electrons and photons (e.g. stellar radiation field). In this work, synchrotron radiation from the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory at the O 1s-edge was employed to perform desorption experiments on the frozen methanol. The desorp-tion rates (desorbed ion per incident photon) of the most intense ions desorbed from methanol due soft X-ray bombardment are estimated. The desorption rates are critical parameters for modeling the chemistry of interstellar clouds. Moreover, a comparison among our results and literature using different ionization agents and different phases (photons at 292 eV and elec-trons at 70 eV in gaseous phase and heavy ions around 65
A Compact X-Ray System for Support of High Throughput Crystallography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ciszak, Ewa; Gubarev, Mikhail; Gibson, Walter M.; Joy, Marshall K.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Standard x-ray systems for crystallography rely on massive generators coupled with optics that guide X-ray beams onto the crystal sample. Optics for single-crystal diffractometry include total reflection mirrors, polycapillary optics or graded multilayer monochromators. The benefit of using polycapillary optic is that it can collect x-rays over tile greatest solid angle, and thus most efficiently, utilize the greatest portion of X-rays emitted from the Source, The x-ray generator has to have a small anode spot, and thus its size and power requirements can be substantially reduced We present the design and results from the first high flux x-ray system for crystallography that combine's a microfocus X-ray generator (40microns FWHM Spot size at a power of 45 W) and a collimating, polycapillary optic. Diffraction data collected from small test crystals with cell dimensions up to 160A (lysozyme and thaumatin) are of high quality. For example, diffraction data collected from a lysozyme crystal at RT yielded R=5.0% for data extending to 1.70A. We compare these results with measurements taken from standard crystallographic systems. Our current microfocus X-ray diffraction system is attractive for supporting crystal growth research in the standard crystallography laboratory as well as in remote, automated crystal growth laboratory. Its small volume, light-weight, and low power requirements are sufficient to have it installed in unique environments, i.e.. on-board International Space Station.

X-ray beamsplitter

DOEpatents

Ceglio, Natale M.; Stearns, Daniel S.; Hawryluk, Andrew M.; Barbee, Jr., Troy W.

1989-01-01

An x-ray beamsplitter which splits an x-ray beam into two coherent parts by reflecting and transmitting some fraction of an incident beam has applications for x-ray interferometry, x-ray holography, x-ray beam manipulation, and x-ray laser cavity output couplers. The beamsplitter is formed of a wavelength selective multilayer thin film supported by a very thin x-ray transparent membrane. The beamsplitter resonantly transmits and reflects x-rays through thin film interference effects. A thin film is formed of 5-50 pairs of alternate Mo/Si layers with a period of 20-250 A. The support membrane is 10-200 nm of silicon nitride or boron nitride. The multilayer/support membrane structure is formed across a window in a substrate by first forming the structure on a solid substrate and then forming a window in the substrate to leave a free-standing structure over the window.
X-Ray Detector Research at MSFC for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaskin, Jessica

2006-01-01

NASA's Vision for Space Exploration has specific goals aimed at exploring the Solar System. This vision, under presidential mandate includes landing humans on the moon before the end of the next decade, paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond. The first missions to the moon will be in the form of both Orbiters and Landers, with the goal of paving the way for human return. One of the instruments we are currently working on,in collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory, is a lunar orbiter fluorescent x-ray spectrometer to finely map the light elements (down to Carbon) on surface of the moon. Funded NASA s Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program the instrument is based on silicon drift detector arrays read out by custom ASICs. These offer the promise of high spectral resolution, necessary for resolving weak lines against a strong background continuum, and very low power requirements, necessary for large areas (greater than 500 square centimeters) required for future lunar missions. Further, the inherent radiation hardness of these detectors makes them ideal candidates for exploring the Jovian system, where the harsh radiation environment from Jupiter s radiation belts creates unfavorable detector conditions. Looking beyond our solar system, in the hard x-ray regime (20-80keV.), we are studying Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride pixilated detectors as feasible candidates for focal plane detectors of a hard x-ray telescope. This energy region bridges the gap between thermal and non-thermal x-ray emission from astronomical sources, will allow us to better understand supernovae nucleosynthesis (such as through the Ti-44 lines at 68keV and 78keV), Active Galactic Nuclei and other compact objects, more completely. The detectors that we are characterizing are 2mm in thickness and are pixilated with a 16x16 array of 300 micrometer pitch pixels (50micometer gap). These detectors are designed at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, material is from e
X-Ray Laser Gets First Real-Time Snapshots of a Chemical Flipping a Biological Switch

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-13

Scientists have used the powerful X-ray laser at the Department of Energyâs SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to make the first snapshots of a chemical interaction between two biomolecules â one that flips an RNA âswitchâ that regulates production of proteins, the workhorse molecules of life. The results, published in Nature, show the game-changing potential of X-ray free-electron lasers, or XFELs, for studying RNA, which guides protein manufacturing in the cell, serves as the primary genetic material in retroviruses such as HIV and also plays a role in most forms of cancer.
Search for Hard X-Ray Emission from the Soft X-Ray Transient Aquila X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harmon, B. A.; Zhang, S. N.; Paciesas, W. S.; Tavani, M.; Kaaret, P.; Ford, E.

1994-12-01

We are investigating the possibility of hard x-ray emission from the recurrent soft x-ray transient and x-ray burst source Aquila X-1 (Aql X-1). Outbursts of this source are relatively frequent with a spacing of ~ 4-10 months (Kitamoto, S. et al. 1993, ApJ, 403, 315). The recent detections of hard tails (\\(>\\)20 keV) in low luminosity x-ray bursters (Barret, D. & Vedrenne, G. 1994, ApJ Supp. S. 92, 505) suggest that neutron star transient systems such as Aql X-1 can produce hard x-ray emission which is detectable by BATSE. We are correlating reported optical and soft x-ray observations since 1991 of Aql X-1 with BATSE observations in order to search for hard x-ray emission episodes, and to study their temporal and spectral evolution. We will present preliminary results of this search in the 20-1000 keV band using the Earth occultation technique applied to the large area detectors. If this work is successful, we hope to alert the astronomical community for the next Aql X-1 outburst expected in 1995. Simultaneous x-ray/hard x-ray and optical observations of Aql X-1 during outburst would be of great importance for the modeling of soft x-ray transients and related systems.
Use of capillary optics as a beam intensifier for a Compton x-ray source.

PubMed

Tompkins, P A; Abreu, C C; Carroll, F E; Xiao, Q F; MacDonald, C A

1994-11-01

The use of Kumakhov capillary optics will significantly enhance the performance of near-monochromatic, Compton backscattered x-ray programs. The Vanderbilt University Medical Free-Electron Laser Center is developing the capability to create these tunable x rays for medical imaging. The present transport has only reflection optics, and the beam is quite large in diameter at the laboratory. Low loss collimation of this beam would allow higher x-ray intensities after transport. This article describes experimental and computer simulation results which predict the expected performance for a multifiber Kumakhov collimator for use in the x-ray beam transport. Estimates from our research are that a multifiber optic formed of individual polycapillary fibers could be used to capture the full 7 mrad of the Vanderbilt x-ray beam and collimate it to a 1-2 mrad divergence with approximately 40%-50% transmission efficiency. This optic should increase the x-ray intensity at the laboratory level by a factor of > or = 5 by decreasing the beam divergence and subsequent spot size. Additionally, analysis of monolithic optics of fused multicapillary fibers predicts an increase in the intensity of the x rays at the laboratory by a factor of 55. These optics can have tapered channels that greatly decrease their exit divergence. This will greatly enhance the capabilities of this unique x-ray source. This article reports the initial results from a collaboration between Vanderbilt, The Center for X-Ray Optics at University at Albany, SUNY, and X-Ray Optical Systems in Albany, NY.
Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometry for high energy density plasma diagnostic.

PubMed

Stutman, D; Finkenthal, M

2011-11-01

High resolution density diagnostics are difficult in high energy density laboratory plasmas (HEDLP) experiments due to the scarcity of probes that can penetrate above solid density plasmas. Hard x-rays are one possible probe for such dense plasmas. We study the possibility of applying an x-ray method recently developed for medical imaging, differential phase-contrast with Talbot-Lau interferometers, for the diagnostic of electron density and small-scale hydrodynamic instabilities in HEDLP experiments. The Talbot method uses micro-periodic gratings to measure the refraction and ultra-small angle scatter of x-rays through an object and is attractive for HEDLP diagnostic due to its capability to work with incoherent and polychromatic x-ray sources such as the laser driven backlighters used for HEDLP radiography. Our paper studies the potential of the Talbot method for HEDLP diagnostic, its adaptation to the HEDLP environment, and its extension of high x-ray energy using micro-periodic mirrors. The analysis is illustrated with experimental results obtained using a laboratory Talbot interferometer. © 2011 American Institute of Physics
Neutron Radiation Shielding For The NIF Streaked X-Ray Detector (SXD) Diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, P; Holder, J; Young, B

2006-11-02

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is preparing for the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) scheduled in 2010. The NIC is comprised of several ''tuning'' physics subcampaigns leading up to a demonstration of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) ignition. In some of these experiments, time-resolved x-ray imaging of the imploding capsule may be required to measure capsule trajectory (shock timing) or x-ray ''bang-time''. A capsule fueled with pure tritium (T) instead of a deutriun-tritium (DT) mixture is thought to offer useful physics surrogacy, with reduced yields of up to 5e14 neutrons. These measurements will require the usemore » of the NIF streak x-ray detector (SXD). The resulting prompt neutron fluence at the planned SXD location ({approx}1.7 m from the target) would be {approx}1.4e9/cm{sup 2}. Previous measurements suggest the onset of significant background at a neutron fluence of {approx} 1e8/cm{sup 2}. The radiation damage and operational upsets which starts at {approx}1e8 rad-Si/sec must be factored into an integrated experimental campaign plan. Monte Carlo analyses were performed to predict the neutron and gamma/x-ray fluences and radiation doses for the proposed diagnostic configuration. A possible shielding configuration is proposed to mitigate radiation effects. The primary component of this shielding is an 80 cm thickness of Polyethylene (PE) between target chamber center (TCC) and the SXD diagnostic. Additionally, 6-8 cm of PE around the detector provide from the large number of neutrons that scatter off the inside of the target chamber. This proposed shielding configuration reduces the high-energy neutron fluence at the SXD by approximately a factor {approx}50.« less
Partially coherent X-ray wavefront propagation simulations including grazing-incidence focusing optics.

PubMed

Canestrari, Niccolo; Chubar, Oleg; Reininger, Ruben

2014-09-01

X-ray beamlines in modern synchrotron radiation sources make extensive use of grazing-incidence reflective optics, in particular Kirkpatrick-Baez elliptical mirror systems. These systems can focus the incoming X-rays down to nanometer-scale spot sizes while maintaining relatively large acceptance apertures and high flux in the focused radiation spots. In low-emittance storage rings and in free-electron lasers such systems are used with partially or even nearly fully coherent X-ray beams and often target diffraction-limited resolution. Therefore, their accurate simulation and modeling has to be performed within the framework of wave optics. Here the implementation and benchmarking of a wave-optics method for the simulation of grazing-incidence mirrors based on the local stationary-phase approximation or, in other words, the local propagation of the radiation electric field along geometrical rays, is described. The proposed method is CPU-efficient and fully compatible with the numerical methods of Fourier optics. It has been implemented in the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) computer code and extensively tested against the geometrical ray-tracing code SHADOW. The test simulations have been performed for cases without and with diffraction at mirror apertures, including cases where the grazing-incidence mirrors can be hardly approximated by ideal lenses. Good agreement between the SRW and SHADOW simulation results is observed in the cases without diffraction. The differences between the simulation results obtained by the two codes in diffraction-dominated cases for illumination with fully or partially coherent radiation are analyzed and interpreted. The application of the new method for the simulation of wavefront propagation through a high-resolution X-ray microspectroscopy beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA) is demonstrated.
Diffraction data of core-shell nanoparticles from an X-ray free electron laser

DOE PAGES

Li, Xuanxuan; Chiu, Chun -Ya; Wang, Hsiang -Ju; ...

2017-04-11

X-ray free-electron lasers provide novel opportunities to conduct single particle analysis on nanoscale particles. Coherent diffractive imaging experiments were performed at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Laboratory, exposing single inorganic core-shell nanoparticles to femtosecond hard-X-ray pulses. Each facetted nanoparticle consisted of a crystalline gold core and a differently shaped palladium shell. Scattered intensities were observed up to about 7 nm resolution. Analysis of the scattering patterns revealed the size distribution of the samples, which is consistent with that obtained from direct real-space imaging by electron microscopy. Furthermore, scattering patterns resulting from single particles were selected and compiledmore » into a dataset which can be valuable for algorithm developments in single particle scattering research.« less
Applications of nuclear techniques for in vivo body composition studies at Brookhaven National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohn, S.H.; Ellis, K.J.; Vartsky, D.

1981-01-01

A series of technical developments and their clinical applications in various nuclear technologies at Brookhaven National Laboratory is described. These include the development of a portable neutron activation facility for measuring cadmium in vivo in kidney and liver, a technique for the measurement of body iron utilizing nuclear resonant scattering of gamma rays, a non-invasive measure of the skeletal levels of lead by an x-ray fluorescence technique, and the development of a pulsed Van de Graaff generator as a source of pulsed neutrons for the measurement of lung silicon. (ACR)
Small-Size High-Current Generators for X-Ray Backlighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaikovsky, S. A.; Artyomov, A. P.; Zharova, N. V.; Zhigalin, A. S.; Lavrinovich, I. V.; Oreshkin, V. I.; Ratakhin, N. A.; Rousskikh, A. G.; Fedunin, A. V.; Fedushchak, V. F.; Erfort, A. A.

2017-12-01

The paper deals with the soft X-ray backlighting based on the X-pinch as a powerful tool for physical studies of fast processes. Proposed are the unique small-size pulsed power generators operating as a low-inductance capacitor bank. These pulse generators provide the X-pinch-based soft X-ray source (hν = 1-10 keV) of micron size at 2-3 ns pulse duration. The small size and weight of pulse generators allow them to be transported to any laboratory for conducting X-ray backlighting of test objects with micron space resolution and nanosecond exposure time. These generators also allow creating synchronized multi-frame radiographic complexes with frame delay variation in a broad range.
Environmental Remediation Science at Beamline X26A at the National Synchrotron Light Source- Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bertsch, Paul

2013-11-07

The goal of this project was to provide support for an advanced X-ray microspectroscopy facility at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory. This facility is operated by the University of Chicago and the University of Kentucky. The facility is available to researchers at both institutions as well as researchers around the globe through the general user program. This facility was successfully supported during the project period. It provided access to advanced X-ray microanalysis techniques which lead to fundamental advances in understanding the behavior of contaminants and geochemistry that is applicable to environmental remediation of DOE legacy sites asmore » well as contaminated sites around the United States and beyond.« less
X-ray beamsplitter

DOEpatents

Ceglio, N.M.; Stearns, D.G.; Hawryluk, A.M.; Barbee, T.W. Jr.

1987-08-07

An x-ray beamsplitter which splits an x-ray beam into two coherent parts by reflecting and transmitting some fraction of an incident beam has applications for x-ray interferometry, x-ray holography, x-ray beam manipulation, and x-ray laser cavity output couplers. The beamsplitter is formed of a wavelength selective multilayer thin film supported by a very thin x-ray transparent membrane. The beamsplitter resonantly transmits and reflects x-rays through thin film interference effects. A thin film is formed of 5--50 pairs of alternate Mo/Si layers with a period of 20--250 A. The support membrane is 10--200 nm of silicon nitride or boron nitride. The multilayer/support membrane structure is formed across a window in a substrate by first forming the structure on a solid substrate and then forming a window in the substrate to leave a free-standing structure over the window. 6 figs.
Report on the fifth workshop on synchrotron x ray lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, G. P.; Godel, J. B.; Brown, G. S.; Liebmann, W.

Semiconductors comprise a greater part of the United States economy than the aircraft, steel, and automobile industries combined. In future the semiconductor manufacturing industry will be forced to switch away from present optical manufacturing methods in the early to mid 1990s. X ray lithography has emerged as the leading contender for continuing production below the 0.4 micron level. Brookhaven National Laboratory began a series of workshops on x ray lithography in 1986 to examine key issues and in particular to enable United States industry to take advantage of the technical base established in this field. Since accelerators provide the brightest sources for x ray lithography, most of the research and development to date has taken place at large accelerator-based research centers such as Brookhaven, the University of Wisconsin, and Stanford. The goals of this Fifth Brookhaven Workshop were to review progress and goals since the last workshop and to establish a blueprint for the future. The meeting focused on the exposure tool, that is, a term defined as the source plus beamline and stepper. In order to assess the appropriateness of schedules for the development of this tool, other aspects of the required technology such as masks, resists and inspection and repair were also reviewed. To accomplish this, two working groups were set up, one to review the overall aspects of x ray lithography and set a time frame, the other to focus on sources.
Simulating x-ray telescopes with McXtrace: a case study of ATHENA's optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Desiree D. M.; Knudsen, Erik B.; Westergaard, Niels J.; Christensen, Finn E.; Massahi, Sonny; Shortt, Brian; Spiga, Daniele; Solstad, Mathias; Lefmann, Kim

2016-07-01

We use the X-ray ray-tracing package McXtrace to simulate the performance of X-ray telescopes based on Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technologies. We use as reference the design of the optics of the planned X-ray mission Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) which is designed as a single X-ray telescope populated with stacked SPO substrates forming mirror modules to focus X-ray photons. We show that is possible to simulate in detail the SPO pores and qualify the use of McXtrace for in-depth analysis of in-orbit performance and laboratory X-ray test results.
High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-powermore » small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. Lastly, the tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.« less
High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

DOE PAGES

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre; ...

2016-12-13

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-powermore » small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. Lastly, the tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.« less
Automating High-Precision X-Ray and Neutron Imaging Applications with Robotics

DOE PAGES

Hashem, Joseph Anthony; Pryor, Mitch; Landsberger, Sheldon; ...

2017-03-28

Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Texas at Austin recently implemented a robotically controlled nondestructive testing (NDT) system for X-ray and neutron imaging. This system is intended to address the need for accurate measurements for a variety of parts and, be able to track measurement geometry at every imaging location, and is designed for high-throughput applications. This system was deployed in a beam port at a nuclear research reactor and in an operational inspection X-ray bay. The nuclear research reactor system consisted of a precision industrial seven-axis robot, 1.1-MW TRIGA research reactor, and a scintillator-mirror-camera-based imaging system. Themore » X-ray bay system incorporated the same robot, a 225-keV microfocus X-ray source, and a custom flat panel digital detector. The robotic positioning arm is programmable and allows imaging in multiple configurations, including planar, cylindrical, as well as other user defined geometries that provide enhanced engineering evaluation capability. The imaging acquisition device is coupled with the robot for automated image acquisition. The robot can achieve target positional repeatability within 17 μm in the 3-D space. Flexible automation with nondestructive imaging saves costs, reduces dosage, adds imaging techniques, and achieves better quality results in less time. Specifics regarding the robotic system and imaging acquisition and evaluation processes are presented. In conclusion, this paper reviews the comprehensive testing and system evaluation to affirm the feasibility of robotic NDT, presents the system configuration, and reviews results for both X-ray and neutron radiography imaging applications.« less
Automating High-Precision X-Ray and Neutron Imaging Applications with Robotics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hashem, Joseph Anthony; Pryor, Mitch; Landsberger, Sheldon

Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Texas at Austin recently implemented a robotically controlled nondestructive testing (NDT) system for X-ray and neutron imaging. This system is intended to address the need for accurate measurements for a variety of parts and, be able to track measurement geometry at every imaging location, and is designed for high-throughput applications. This system was deployed in a beam port at a nuclear research reactor and in an operational inspection X-ray bay. The nuclear research reactor system consisted of a precision industrial seven-axis robot, 1.1-MW TRIGA research reactor, and a scintillator-mirror-camera-based imaging system. Themore » X-ray bay system incorporated the same robot, a 225-keV microfocus X-ray source, and a custom flat panel digital detector. The robotic positioning arm is programmable and allows imaging in multiple configurations, including planar, cylindrical, as well as other user defined geometries that provide enhanced engineering evaluation capability. The imaging acquisition device is coupled with the robot for automated image acquisition. The robot can achieve target positional repeatability within 17 μm in the 3-D space. Flexible automation with nondestructive imaging saves costs, reduces dosage, adds imaging techniques, and achieves better quality results in less time. Specifics regarding the robotic system and imaging acquisition and evaluation processes are presented. In conclusion, this paper reviews the comprehensive testing and system evaluation to affirm the feasibility of robotic NDT, presents the system configuration, and reviews results for both X-ray and neutron radiography imaging applications.« less
X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Atkins, Carolyn; Broadway, David M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Roche, Jacqueline M.;

2015-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) engages in research, development, design, fabrication, coating, assembly, and testing of grazing-incidence optics (primarily) for x-ray telescope systems. Over the past two decades, MSFC has refined processes for electroformed-nickel replication of grazing-incidence optics, in order to produce high-strength, thin-walled, full-cylinder x-ray mirrors. In recent years, MSFC has used this technology to fabricate numerous x-ray mirror assemblies for several flight (balloon, rocket, and satellite) programs. Additionally, MSFC has demonstrated the suitability of this technology for ground-based laboratory applications-namely, x-ray microscopes and cold-neutron microscopes and concentrators. This mature technology enables the production, at moderately low cost, of reasonably lightweight x-ray telescopes with good (15-30 arcsecond) angular resolution. However, achieving arcsecond imaging for a lightweight x-ray telescope likely requires development of other technologies. Accordingly, MSFC is conducting a multi-faceted research program toward enabling cost-effective production of lightweight high-resolution x-ray mirror assemblies. Relevant research topics currently under investigation include differential deposition for post-fabrication figure correction, in-situ monitoring and control of coating stress, and direct fabrication of thin-walled full-cylinder grazing-incidence mirrors.

Real-time X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Materials Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosemeier, R. G.

1984-01-01

With the high speed growth of materials it becomes necessary to develop measuring systems which also have the capabilities of characterizing these materials at high speeds. One of the conventional techniques of characterizing materials was X-ray diffraction. Film, which is the oldest method of recording the X-ray diffraction phenomenon, is not quite adequate in most circumstances to record fast changing events. Even though conventional proportional counters and scintillation counters can provide the speed necessary to record these changing events, they lack the ability to provide image information which may be important in some types of experiment or production arrangements. A selected number of novel applications of using X-ray diffraction to characterize materials in real-time are discussed. Also, device characteristics of some X-ray intensifiers useful in instantaneous X-ray diffraction applications briefly presented. Real-time X-ray diffraction experiments with the incorporation of image X-ray intensification add a new dimension in the characterization of materials. The uses of real-time image intensification in laboratory and production arrangements are quite unlimited and their application depends more upon the ingenuity of the scientist or engineer.
Multi-frame X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (MPCI) for Dynamic Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iverson, Adam; Carlson, Carl; Sanchez, Nathaniel; Jensen, Brian

2017-06-01

Recent advances in coupling synchrotron X-ray diagnostics to dynamic experiments are providing new information about the response of materials at extremes. For example, propagation based X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) which is sensitive to differences in density has been successfully used to study a wide range of phenomena, e.g. jet-formation, compression of additive manufactured (AM) materials, and detonator dynamics. In this talk, we describe the current multi-frame X-ray phase contrast imaging (MPCI) system which allows up to eight frames per experiment, remote optimization, and an improved optical design that increases optical efficiency and accommodates dual-magnification during a dynamic event. Data will be presented that used the dual-magnification feature to obtain multiple images of an exploding foil initiator. In addition, results from static testing will be presented that used a multiple scintillator configuration required to extend the density retrieval to multi-constituent, or heterogeneous systems. The continued development of this diagnostic is fundamentally important to capabilities at the APS including IMPULSE and the Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS), and will benefit future facilities such as MaRIE at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Measurement and Instrumentation Challenges at X-ray Free Electron Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yiping

2015-03-01

X-ray Free Electron Laser sources based on the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission process are intrinsically chaotic, giving rise to pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in all physical properties, including intensity, position and pointing, spatial and temporal profiles, spectral content, timing, and coherence. These fluctuations represents special challenges to users whose experiments are designed to reveal small changes in the underlying physical quantities, which would otherwise be completely washed out without using the proper diagnostics tools. Due to the X-ray FEL's unique characteristics such as the unprecedented peak power and nearly full spatial coherence, there are many technical challenges in conceiving and implementing these devices that are highly transmissive, provide sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, and most importantly work in the single-shot mode. Portions of this research were carried out at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. LCLS is an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science by Stanford Univ.
High-energy (> 70 KeV) x-ray conversion efficiency measurement on the ARC laser at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Chen, Hui; Hermann, M. R.; Kalantar, D. H.; ...

2017-03-16

Here, the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) laser system at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is designed to ultimately provide eight beamlets with a pulse duration adjustable from 1 to 30 ps, and energies up to 1.5 kJ per beamlet. Currently, four beamlets have been commissioned. In the first set of 6 commissioning target experiments, the individual beamlets were fired onto gold foil targets with energy up to 1 kJ per beamlet at 20–30 ps pulse length. The x-ray energy distribution and pulse duration were measured, yielding energy conversion efficiencies of 4–9 × 10 –4 for x-rays with energies greater thanmore » 70 keV. With greater than 3 J of such x-rays, ARC provides a high-precision x-ray backlighting capability for upcoming inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density physics experiments on NIF.« less
Forward directed x-ray from source produced by relativistic electrons from a Self-Modulated Laser Wakefield Accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemos, Nuno; Albert, Felicie; Shaw, Jessica; King, Paul; Milder, Avi; Marsh, Ken; Pak, Arthur; Joshi, Chan

2017-10-01

Plasma-based particle accelerators are now able to provide the scientific community with novel light sources. Their applications span many disciplines, including high-energy density sciences, where they can be used as probes to explore the physics of dense plasmas and warm dense matter. A recent advance is in the experimental and theoretical characterization of x-ray emission from electrons in the self-modulated laser wakefield regime (SMLWFA) where little is known about the x-ray properties. A series of experiments at the LLNL Jupiter Laser Facility, using the 1 ps 150 J Titan laser, have demonstrated low divergence electron beams with energies up to 300 MeV and 6 nCs of charge, and betatron x-rays with critical energies up to 20 keV. This work identifies two other mechanisms which produce high energy broadband x-rays and gamma-rays from the SMLWFA: Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. We demonstrate the use of Compton scattering and bremsstrahlung to generate x/Gamma-rays from 3 keV up to 1.5 MeV with a source size of 50um and a divergence of 100 mrad. This work is an important step towards developing this x-ray light source on large-scale international laser facilities, and also opens up the prospect of using them for applications. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under the contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
X-Ray Polarization from High Mass X-Ray Binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kallman, T.; Dorodnitsyn, A.; Blondin, J.

2015-01-01

X-ray astronomy allows study of objects which may be associated with compact objects, i.e. neutron stars or black holes, and also may contain strong magnetic fields. Such objects are categorically non-spherical, and likely non-circular when projected on the sky. Polarization allows study of such geometric effects, and X-ray polarimetry is likely to become feasible for a significant number of sources in the future. A class of potential targets for future X-ray polarization observations is the high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), which consist of a compact object in orbit with an early type star. In this paper we show that X-ray polarization from HMXBs has a distinct signature which depends on the source inclination and orbital phase. The presence of the X-ray source displaced from the star creates linear polarization even if the primary wind is spherically symmetric whenever the system is viewed away from conjunction. Direct X-rays dilute this polarization whenever the X-ray source is not eclipsed; at mid-eclipse the net polarization is expected to be small or zero if the wind is circularly symmetric around the line of centers. Resonance line scattering increases the scattering fraction, often by large factors, over the energy band spanned by resonance lines. Real winds are not expected to be spherically symmetric, or circularly symmetric around the line of centers, owing to the combined effects of the compact object gravity and ionization on the wind hydrodynamics. A sample calculation shows that this creates polarization fractions ranging up to tens of percent at mid-eclipse.
X-ray rocking curve measurements of bent crystals. [used in High Resolution Spectrometer in Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakim, M. B.; Muney, W. S.; Fowler, W. B.; Woodgate, B. E.

1988-01-01

A three-crystal laboratory X-ray spectrometer is used to measure the Bragg reflection from concave cylindrically curved crystals to be used in the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer of the NASA Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). The first two crystals, in the dispersive (1.1) arrangement, select a narrow collimated monochromatic beam in the Cu K-alpha(1) line at 1.5 A (8.1 keV), which illuminates the test crystal. The angular centroids of rocking curves measured along the surface provide a measure of the conformity of the crystal to the desired radius of curvature. Individual and combined rocking-curve widths and areas provide a measure of the resolution and efficiency at 1.54 A. The crystals analyzed included LiF(200), PET, and acid phthalates such as TAP.
Be/X-ray Binary Science for Future X-ray Timing Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.

2011-01-01

For future missions, the Be/X-ray binary community needs to clearly define our science priorities for the future to advocate for their inclusion in future missions. In this talk, I will describe current designs for two potential future missions and Be X-ray binary science enabled by these designs. The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT) is an X-ray timing mission selected in February 2011 for the assessment phase from the 2010 ESA M3 call for proposals. The Advanced X-ray Timing ARray (AXTAR) is a NASA explorer concept X-ray timing mission. This talk is intended to initiate discussions of our science priorities for the future.
Abdomen X-Ray (Radiography)

MedlinePlus

... News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z X-ray (Radiography) - Abdomen Abdominal x-ray uses a ... of an abdominal x-ray? What is abdominal x-ray? An x-ray (radiograph) is a noninvasive ...
Applications and results of X-ray spectroscopy in implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epstein, R.; Regan, S. P.; Hammel, B. A.; Suter, L. J.; Scott, H. A.; Barrios, M. A.; Bradley, D. K.; Callahan, D. A.; Cerjan, C.; Collins, G. W.; Dixit, S. N.; Döppner, T.; Edwards, M. J.; Farley, D. R.; Fournier, K. B.; Glenn, S.; Glenzer, S. H.; Golovkin, I. E.; Hamza, A.; Hicks, D. G.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Key, M. H.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Kline, J. L.; Kyrala, G. A.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacFarlane, J. J.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Mancini, R. C.; McCrory, R. L.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Meezan, N. B.; Nikroo, A.; Park, H.-S.; Patel, P. K.; Ralph, J. E.; Remington, B. A.; Sangster, T. C.; Smalyuk, V. A.; Springer, P. T.; Town, R. P. J.; Tucker, J. L.

2017-03-01

Current inertial confinement fusion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 43, 2841 (2004)] are attempting to demonstrate thermonuclear ignition using x-ray drive by imploding spherical targets containing hydrogen-isotope fuel in the form of a thin cryogenic layer surrounding a central volume of fuel vapor [J. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. The fuel is contained within a plastic ablator layer with small concentrations of one or more mid-Z elements, e.g., Ge or Cu. The capsule implodes, driven by intense x-ray emission from the inner surface of a hohlraum enclosure irradiated by the NIF laser, and fusion reactions occur in the central hot spot near the time of peak compression. Ignition will occur if the hot spot within the compressed fuel layer attains a high-enough areal density to retain enough of the reaction product energy to reach nuclear reaction temperatures within the inertial hydrodynamic disassembly time of the fuel mass [J. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. The primary purpose of the ablator dopants is to shield the ablator surface adjacent to the DT ice from heating by the hohlraum x-ray drive [S. W. Haan et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051001 (2011)]. Simulations predicted that these dopants would produce characteristic K-shell emission if ablator material mixed into the hot spot [B. A. Hammel et al., High Energy Density Phys. 6, 171 (2010)]. In NIF ignition experiments, emission and absorption features from these dopants appear in x-ray spectra measured with the hot-spot x-ray spectrometer in Supersnout II [S. P. Regan et al., "Hot-Spot X-Ray Spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility," to be submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments]. These include K-shell emission lines from the hot spot (driven primarily by inner-shell collisional ionization and dielectronic recombination) and photoionization edges, fluorescence, and absorption lines caused by the absorption of the
Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors: Large Format X-ray Spectral Imagers for the Next Generation of X-ray Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckart, Megan E.; Mazin, B. A.; Bumble, B.; Golwala, S. R.; Zmuidzinas, J.; Day, P. K.; Harrison, F. A.

2006-09-01

Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) have the potential to provide megapixel imagers with few eV spectral resolution for future X-ray missions such as Gen-X. MKIDs offer the advantage over many other cryogenic detector technologies that they can be easily multiplexed, so that arrays with many thousand pixels are readily achievable. In addition, the readout electronics can be operated at room temperature, a significant advantage for space applications. MKIDs exploit the dependence of surface impedance of a superconductorwith the quasiparticle density. Quasiparticles are created by absorption of X-rays, with number proportional to the X-ray energy. The impedance change may be sensitively measured using a thin-film resonant circuit. The practical application of MKIDs for photon detection requires a method of efficiently coupling the photon energy to the MKID. To apply the MKID scheme to X-ray detection we pattern tantalum strips with aluminum MKIDs attached at each end. An incident X-ray is absorbed in the Ta and creates millions of quasiparticle excitations, which diffuse to each end of the strip, finally entering the Al resonators where they are trapped and sensed. Simultaneous monitoring of the signal at both ends of the strip allow position and energy determination for each photon. We have demonstrated working strip detectors in the laboratory, and will present our measurements of the quasiparticle diffusion constant and the quasiparticle lifetime in tantalum, the aluminum quasiparticle lifetime, and the energy resolution of the detector. We will also discuss ideas for future detector designs and suggest ultimate performance goals for X-ray astronomy applications.
LABORATORY EVALUATION OF SIX NEW/MODIFIED PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETERS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LEAD IN CHARACTERIZED PAINT FILMS AND RESEARCH MATERIAL BOARDS (TECHNICAL REPORT)

EPA Science Inventory

A laboratory study was performed in 1994-1995 to identify and estimate the influence of key characteristics for evaluating the performance of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers. Six new/modified spectrometers, including HNU SEFA-Pb, Metorex X-MET, Niton X-L, Radiat...
Z pinches as intense x-ray sources for high-energy density physics applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matzen, M.K.

1997-05-01

Fast Z-pinch implosions can efficiently convert the stored electrical energy in a pulsed-power accelerator into x rays. These x rays are produced when an imploding cylindrical plasma, driven by the magnetic field pressure associated with very large axial currents, stagnates upon the cylindrical axis of symmetry. On the Saturn pulsed-power accelerator [R. B. Spielman {ital et al.}, in {ital Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Dense Z Pinches}, Laguna Beach, CA, 1989, edited by N. R. Pereira, J. Davis, and N. Rostoker (American Institute of Physics, New York, 1989), p. 3] at Sandia National Laboratories, for example, currents ofmore » 6{endash}8 MA with a rise time of less than 50 ns are driven through cylindrically symmetric loads, producing implosion velocities as high as 10{sup 8}cm/s and x-ray energies exceeding 400 kJ. Hydromagnetic Rayleigh{endash}Taylor instabilities and cylindrical load symmetry are critical, limiting factors in determining the assembled plasma densities and temperatures, and thus in the x-ray energies and pulse widths that can be produced on these accelerators. In recent experiments on the Saturn accelerator, these implosion nonuniformities have been minimized by using wire arrays with as many as 192 wires. Increasing the wire number produced significant improvements in the pinched plasma quality, reproducibility, and x-ray output power. X-ray pulse widths of less than 5 ns and peak powers of 75{plus_minus}10TW have been achieved with arrays of 120 tungsten wires. Similar loads have recently been fielded on the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator (PBFA II), producing x-ray energies in excess of 1.8 MJ at powers in excess of 160 TW. These intense x-ray sources offer the potential for performing many new basic physics and fusion-relevant experiments. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}« less
A search for X-ray polarization in cosmic X-ray sources. [binary X-ray sources and supernovae remnants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, J. P.; Long, K. S.; Novick, R.

1983-01-01

Fifteen strong X-ray sources were observed by the X-ray polarimeters on board the OSO-8 satellite from 1975 to 1978. The final results of this search for X-ray polarization in cosmic sources are presented in the form of upper limits for the ten sources which are discussed elsewhere. These limits in all cases are consistent with a thermal origin for the X-ray emission.
X-Ray Emission from the Soft X-Ray Transient Aquila X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tavani, Marco

1998-01-01

Aquila X-1 is the most prolific of soft X-ray transients. It is believed to contain a rapidly spinning neutron star sporadically accreting near the Eddington limit from a low-mass companion star. The interest in studying the repeated X-ray outbursts from Aquila X-1 is twofold: (1) studying the relation between optical, soft and hard X-ray emission during the outburst onset, development and decay; (2) relating the spectral component to thermal and non-thermal processes occurring near the magnetosphere and in the boundary layer of a time-variable accretion disk. Our investigation is based on the BATSE monitoring of Aquila X-1 performed by our group. We observed Aquila X-1 in 1997 and re-analyzed archival information obtained in April 1994 during a period of extraordinary outbursting activity of the source in the hard X-ray range. Our results allow, for the first time for this important source, to obtain simultaneous spectral information from 2 keV to 200 keV. A black body (T = 0.8 keV) plus a broken power-law spectrum describe accurately the 1994 spectrum. Substantial hard X-ray emission is evident in the data, confirming that the accretion phase during sub-Eddington limit episodes is capable of producing energetic hard emission near 5 x 10(exp 35) ergs(exp -1). A preliminary paper summarizes our results, and a more comprehensive account is being written. We performed a theoretical analysis of possible emission mechanisms, and confirmed that a non-thermal emission mechanism triggered in a highly sheared magnetosphere at the accretion disk inner boundary can explain the hard X-ray emission. An anticorrelation between soft and hard X-ray emission is indeed prominently observed as predicted by this model.
Qualitative comparison of bremsstrahlung X-rays and 800 MeV protons for tomography of urania fuel pellets

DOE PAGES

Morris, Christopher L.; Bourke, Mark A.; Byler, Darrin D.; ...

2013-02-11

We present an assessment of x-rays and proton tomography as tools for studying the time dependence of the development of damage in fuel rods. Also, we show data taken with existing facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory that support this assessment. Data on surrogate fuel rods has been taken using the 800 MeV proton radiography (pRad) facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), and with a 450 keV bremsstrahlung X-ray tomography facility. The proton radiography pRad facility at LANSCE can provide good position resolution (<70 μm has been demonstrate, 20 μm seems feasible with minor changes) for tomographymore » on activated fuel rods. Bremsstrahlung x-rays may be able to provide better than 100 μm resolution but further development of sources, collimation and detectors is necessary for x-rays to deal with the background radiation for tomography of activated fuel rods.« less
Quantitative X-ray Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Takashi

Full-field soft x-ray microscopes are widely used in many fields of sciences. Advances in nanofabrication technology enabled short wavelength focusing elements with significantly improved spatial resolution. In the soft x-ray spectral region, samples as small as 12 nm can be resolved using micro zone-plates as the objective lens. In addition to conventional x-ray microscopy in which x-ray absorption difference provides the image contrast, phase contrast mechanisms such as differential phase contrast (DIC) and Zernike phase contrast have also been demonstrated These phase contrast imaging mechanisms are especially attractive at the x-ray wavelengths where phase contrast of most materials is typically 10 times stronger than the absorption contrast. With recent progresses in plasma-based x- ray sources and increasing accessibility to synchrotron user facilities, x-ray microscopes are quickly becoming standard measurement equipment in the laboratory. To further the usefulness of x-ray DIC microscopy this thesis explicitly addresses three known issues with this imaging modality by introducing new techniques and devices First, as opposed to its visible-light counterpart, no quantitative phase imaging technique exists for x-ray DIC microscopy. To address this issue, two nanoscale x-ray quantitative phase imaging techniques, using exclusive OR (XOR) patterns and zone-plate doublets, respectively, are proposed. Unlike existing x-ray quantitative phase imaging techniques such as Talbot interferometry and ptychography, no dedicated experimental setups or stringent illumination coherence are needed for quantitative phase retrieval. Second, to the best of our knowledge, no quantitative performance characterization of DIC microscopy exists to date. Therefore the imaging system's response to sample's spatial frequency is not known In order to gain in-depth understanding of this imaging modality, performance of x-ray DIC microscopy is quantified using modulation transfer function
New Snapshots of Photosynthesis Captured by SLAC’s X-ray Laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-11-22

The machinery responsible for photosynthesis – while commonplace and essential to life on Earth – is still not fully understood. One of its molecular mysteries involves how a protein complex, photosystem II, harvests energy from light and uses it to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process generates the oxygen in the air that we breathe. New X-ray methods at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have captured the first detailed image of this protein complex at room temperature, which allows scientists to closely watch how water is split during photosynthesis at the temperature at which itmore » occurs naturally. The research team took the images using the bright, fast pulses of light at SLAC’s X-ray free-electron laser – the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a DOE Office of Science User Facility.« less
Time resolved small angle X-ray scattering experiments performed on detonating explosives at the advanced photon source: Calculation of the time and distance between the detonation front and the x-ray beam

DOE PAGES

Gustavsen, Richard L.; Dattelbaum, Dana Mcgraw; Watkins, Erik Benjamin; ...

2017-03-10

Time resolved Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) experiments on detonating explosives have been conducted at Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source Dynamic Compression Sector. The purpose of the experiments is to measure the SAXS patterns at tens of ns to a few μs behind the detonation front. Corresponding positions behind the detonation front are of order 0.1–10 mm. From the scattering patterns, properties of the explosive products relative to the time behind the detonation front can be inferred. Lastly, this report describes how the time and distance from the x-ray probe location to the detonation front is calculated, as wellmore » as the uncertainties and sources of uncertainty associated with the calculated times and distances.« less
Time resolved small angle X-ray scattering experiments performed on detonating explosives at the advanced photon source: Calculation of the time and distance between the detonation front and the x-ray beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gustavsen, Richard L.; Dattelbaum, Dana Mcgraw; Watkins, Erik Benjamin

Time resolved Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) experiments on detonating explosives have been conducted at Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source Dynamic Compression Sector. The purpose of the experiments is to measure the SAXS patterns at tens of ns to a few μs behind the detonation front. Corresponding positions behind the detonation front are of order 0.1–10 mm. From the scattering patterns, properties of the explosive products relative to the time behind the detonation front can be inferred. Lastly, this report describes how the time and distance from the x-ray probe location to the detonation front is calculated, as wellmore » as the uncertainties and sources of uncertainty associated with the calculated times and distances.« less

"X-Ray Transients in Star-Forming Regions" and "Hard X-Ray Emission from X-Ray Bursters"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, Jules P.; Kaaret, Philip

1999-01-01

This grant funded work on the analysis of data obtained with the Burst and Transient Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The goal of the work was to search for hard x-ray transients in star forming regions using the all-sky hard x-ray monitoring capability of BATSE. Our initial work lead to the discovery of a hard x-ray transient, GRO J1849-03. Follow-up observations of this source made with the Wide Field Camera on BeppoSAX showed that the source should be identified with the previously known x-ray pulsar GS 1843-02 which itself is identified with the x-ray source X1845-024 originally discovered with the SAS-3 satellite. Our identification of the source and measurement of the outburst recurrence time, lead to the identification of the source as a Be/X-ray binary with a spin period of 94.8 s and an orbital period of 241 days. The funding was used primarily for partial salary and travel support for John Tomsick, then a graduate student at Columbia University. John Tomsick, now Dr. Tomsick, received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in July 1999, based partially on results obtained under this investigation. He is now a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of California, San Diego.
Formation and Evolution of X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fragkos, Anastasios

X-ray binaries - mass-transferring binary stellar systems with compact object accretors - are unique astrophysical laboratories. They carry information about many complex physical processes such as star formation, compact object formation, and evolution of interacting binaries. My thesis work involves the study of the formation and evolution of Galactic and extra-galacticX-ray binaries using both detailed and realistic simulation tools, and population synthesis techniques. I applied an innovative analysis method that allows the reconstruction of the full evolutionary history of known black hole X-ray binaries back to the time of compact object formation. This analysis takes into account all the available observationally determined properties of a system, and models in detail four of its evolutionary evolutionary phases: mass transfer through the ongoing X-ray phase, tidal evolution before the onset of Roche-lobe overflow, motion through the Galactic potential after the formation of the black hole, and binary orbital dynamics at the time of core collapse. Motivated by deep extra-galactic Chandra survey observations, I worked on population synthesis models of low-mass X-ray binaries in the two elliptical galaxies NGC3379 and NGC4278. These simulations were targeted at understanding the origin of the shape and normalization of the observed X-ray luminosity functions. In a follow up study, I proposed a physically motivated prescription for the modeling of transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary properties, such as duty cycle, outburst duration and recurrence time. This prescription enabled the direct comparison of transient low-mass X-ray binary population synthesis models to the Chandra X-ray survey of the two ellipticals NGC3379 and NGC4278. Finally, I worked on population synthesismodels of black holeX-ray binaries in the MilkyWay. This work was motivated by recent developments in observational techniques for the measurement of black hole spin magnitudes in
Lumbosacral spine x-ray

MedlinePlus

X-ray - lumbosacral spine; X-ray - lower spine ... The test is done in a hospital x-ray department or your health care provider's office by an x-ray technician. You will be asked to lie on the x-ray ...
X-ray ptychography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfeiffer, Franz

2018-01-01

X-ray ptychographic microscopy combines the advantages of raster scanning X-ray microscopy with the more recently developed techniques of coherent diffraction imaging. It is limited neither by the fabricational challenges associated with X-ray optics nor by the requirements of isolated specimen preparation, and offers in principle wavelength-limited resolution, as well as stable access and solution to the phase problem. In this Review, we discuss the basic principles of X-ray ptychography and summarize the main milestones in the evolution of X-ray ptychographic microscopy and tomography over the past ten years, since its first demonstration with X-rays. We also highlight the potential for applications in the life and materials sciences, and discuss the latest advanced concepts and probable future developments.
Discovery and development of x-ray diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Yeuncheol; Yin, Ming; Datta, Timir

2013-03-01

In 1912 Max Laue at University of Munich reasoned x-rays to be short wavelength electromagnetic waves and figured interference would occur when scattered off crystals. Arnold Sommerfeld, W. Wien, Ewald and others, raised objections to Laue's idea, but soon Walter Friedrich succeeded in recording x-ray interference patterns off copper sulfate crystals. But the Laue-Ewald's 3-dimensional formula predicted excess spots. Fewer spots were observed. William Lawrence Bragg then 22 year old studying at Cambridge University heard the Munich results from father William Henry Brag, physics professor at Univ of Leeds. Lawrence figured the spots are 2-d interference of x-ray wavelets reflecting off successive atomic planes and derived a simple eponymous equation, the Bragg equation d*sin(theta) = n*lamda. 1913 onward the Braggs dominated the crystallography. Max Laue was awarded the physics Nobel in 1914 and the Braggs shared the same in 1915. Starting with Rontgen's first ever prize in 1901, the importance of x-ray techniques is evident from the four out of a total 16 physics Nobels between 1901-1917. We will outline the historical back ground and importance of x-ray diffraction giving rise to techniques that even in 2013, remain work horses in laboratories all over the globe.
Toward a fourth-generation x-ray source.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Monction, D. E.

1999-05-19

The field of synchrotron radiation research has grown rapidly over the last 25 years due to both the push of the accelerator and magnet technology that produces the x-ray beams and the pull of the extraordinary scientific research that is possible with them. Three successive generations of synchrotrons radiation facilities have resulted in beam brilliances 11 to 12 orders of magnitude greater than the standard laboratory x-ray tube. However, greater advances can be easily imagined given the fact that x-ray beams from present-day facilities do not exhibit the coherence or time structure so familiar with the optical laser. Theoretical workmore » over the last ten years or so has pointed to the possibility of generating hard x-ray beams with laser-like characteristics. The concept is based on self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) in flee-electron lasers. A major facility of this type based upon a superconducting linac could produce a cost-effective facility that spans wave-lengths from the ultraviolet to the hard x-ray regime, simultaneously servicing large numbers experimenters from a wide range of disciplines. As with each past generation of synchrotrons facilities, immense new scientific opportunities would result from fourth-generation sources.« less
Energy distribution measurement of narrow-band ultrashort x-ray beams via K-edge filters subtraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cardarelli, Paolo; Di Domenico, Giovanni; Marziani, Michele

2012-10-01

The characterization of novel x-ray sources includes the measurement of the photon flux and the energy distribution of the produced beam. The aim of BEATS2 experiment at the SPARC-LAB facility of the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati (Rome, Italy) is to investigate possible medical applications of an x-ray source based on Thomson relativistic back-scattering. This source is expected to produce a pulsed quasi-monochromatic x-ray beam with an instantaneous flux of 10{sup 20} ph/s in pulses 10 ps long and with an average energy of about 20 keV. A direct measurement of energy distribution of this beam is very difficult withmore » traditional detectors because of the extremely high photon flux. In this paper, we present a method for the evaluation of the energy distribution of quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams based on beam filtration with K-edge absorbing foils in the energy range of interest (16-22 keV). The technique was tested measuring the energy distribution of an x-ray beam having a spectrum similar to the expected one (SPARC-LAB Thomson source) by using a tungsten anode x-ray tube properly filtered and powered. The energy distribution obtained has been compared with the one measured with a HPGe detector showing very good agreement.« less
SEXTANT - Station Explorer for X-Ray Timing and Navigation Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Jason; Hasouneh, Monther; Winternitz, Luke; Valdez, Jennifer; Price, Sam; Semper, Sean; Yu, Wayne; Gaebler, John; Ray, Paul; Wood, Kent;

2015-01-01

The Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) is a NASA funded technology- demonstration. SEXTANT will, for the first time, demonstrate real-time, on-board X-ray Pulsar-based Navigation (XNAV), a significant milestone in the quest to establish a GPS-like navigation capability available throughout our Solar System and beyond. This paper describes the basic design of the SEXTANT system with a focus on core models and algorithms, and the design and continued development of the GSFC X-ray Navigation Laboratory Testbed (GXLT) with its dynamic pulsar emulation capability. We also present early results from GXLT modeling of the combined NICER X-ray timing instrument hardware and SEXTANT flight software algorithms.

Explorer Program: X-ray Timing Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

This booklet describes the X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE), one in a series of Explorer missions administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Space Science and managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The X-ray astronomy observatory is scheduled for launch into low-Earth orbit by Delta 2 expendable launch vehicle in late summer of 1995. The mission is expected to operate for at least 2 years and will carry out in-depth timing and spectral studies of the X-ray sources in the 2 to 200 kilo-electron Volt (keV) range. XTE is intended to study the temporal and broad-band spectral phenomena associated with stellar and galactic systems containing compact objects, including neutron stars, white dwarfs, and black holes.
Inference of the electron temperature in ICF implosions from the hard X-ray spectral continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagan, Grigory; Landen, O. L.; Svyatsky, D.; Sio, H.; Kabadi, N. V.; Simpson, R. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Frenje, J. A.; Petrasso, R. D.; Shah, R. C.; Joshi, T. R.; Hakel, P.; Weber, T. E.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Thorn, D.; Schneider, M.; Bradley, D.; Kilkenny, J.

2017-10-01

The NIF Continuum Spectrometer, scheduled to be first deployed in Fall of 2017, will infer the imploded core electron temperature from the free-free continuum self-emission spectra of photons with energies of 20 to 30 keV. However, this hard X-ray radiation is emitted by the tail of the electron distribution, which likely deviates from Maxwellian and thus obscures interpretation of the data. We investigate resulting modifications to the X-ray spectra. The logarithmic slope of the spectrum from the more realistic, non-thermal tail of the electron distribution is found to decrease more rapidly at higher photon energies, as compared to the perfectly Maxwellian case. Interpreting the spectrum with assumption of Maxwellian electrons enforced is shown to give an electron temperature that is lower than the actual one. Conversely, due to its connection with the non-thermal features in the electron distribution, hard X-ray emission can provide unprecedented information about kinetic processes in the hot DT core. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396.
Lightweight Target Generates Bright, Energetic X-Rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hazi, A

Radiography with x rays is a long-established method to see inside objects, from human limbs to weapon parts. Livermore scientists have a continuing need for powerful x rays for such applications as backlighting, or illuminating, inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments and imaging still or exploding materials for the nation's Stockpile Stewardship Program. X-radiography is one of the prime diagnostics for ICF experiments because it captures the fine detail needed to determine what happens to nearly microscopic targets when they are compressed by laser light. For example, Livermore scientists participating in the National Ignition Facility's (NIF's) 18-month-long Early Light experimental campaign,more » which ended in 2004, used x rays to examine hydrodynamic instabilities in jets of plasma. In these experiments, one laser beam irradiated a solid target of titanium, causing it to form a high-temperature plasma that generated x rays of about 4.65 kiloelectronvolts (keV). These x rays backlit a jet of plasma formed when two other laser beams hit a plastic ablator and sent a shock to an aluminum washer. Livermore physicist Kevin Fournier of the Physics and Advanced Technologies Directorate leads a team that is working to increase the efficiency of converting laser energy into x rays so the resulting images provide more information about the object being illuminated. The main characteristics of x-ray sources are energy and brightness. ''As experimental targets get larger and as compression of the targets increases, the backlighter sources must be brighter and more energetic'', says Fournier. The more energetic the x rays, the further they penetrate an object. The brighter the source--that is, the more photons it has--the clearer the image. historically, researchers have used solid targets such as thin metal foils to generate x rays. however, when photon energies are greater than a few kiloelectronvolts, the conversion efficiency of solid targets is only a
The UCSD high energy X-ray timing experiment cosmic ray particle anticoincidence detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hink, P. L.; Rothschild, R. E.; Pelling, M. R.; Macdonald, D. R.; Gruber, D. E.

1991-01-01

The HEXTE, part of the X-Ray Timing Explorer (XTE), is designed to make high sensitivity temporal and spectral measurements of X-rays with energies between 15 and 250 keV using NaI/CsI phoswich scintillation counters. To achieve the required sensitivity it is necessary to provide anticoincidence of charged cosmic ray particles incident upon the instrument, some of which interact to produce background X-rays. The proposed cosmic ray particle anticoincidence shield detector for HEXTE uses a novel design based on plastic scintillators and wavelength-shifter bars. It consists of five segments, each with a 7 mm thick plastic scintillator, roughly 50 cm x 50 cm in size, coupled to two wavelength-shifter bars viewed by 1/2 inch photomultiplier tubes. These segments are configured into a five-sided, box-like structure around the main detector system. Results of laboratory testing of a model segment, and calculations of the expected performance of the flight segments and particle anticoincidence detector system are presented to demonstrate that the above anticoincidence detector system satisfies its scientific requirements.
Polymer X-ray refractive nano-lenses fabricated by additive technology.

PubMed

Petrov, A K; Bessonov, V O; Abrashitova, K A; Kokareva, N G; Safronov, K R; Barannikov, A A; Ershov, P A; Klimova, N B; Lyatun, I I; Yunkin, V A; Polikarpov, M; Snigireva, I; Fedyanin, A A; Snigirev, A

2017-06-26

The present work demonstrates the potential applicability of additive manufacturing to X-Ray refractive nano-lenses. A compound refractive lens with a radius of 5 µm was produced by the two-photon polymerization induced lithography. It was successfully tested at the X-ray microfocus laboratory source and a focal spot of 5 μm was measured. An amorphous nature of polymer material combined with the potential of additive technologies may result in a significantly enhanced focusing performance compared to the best examples of modern X-ray compound refractive lenses.
X-ray fluorescence beamline at the LNLS: Current instrumentation and future developments (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, C. A.; Bueno, M. I. S.; Neuenshwander, R. T.; Sánchez, H. J.; Tolentino, H.

2002-03-01

The x-ray fluorescence (XRF) beamline, constructed at the Brazilian National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (LNLS-http://www.lnls.br), has been operating for the external users since August of 1998 (C. A. Pérez et al., Proc. of the European Conference on Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry, Bologna, Italy, 1998, pp. 125-129). The synchrotron source for this beamline is the D09B (15°) dipole magnet of the LNLS storage ring. Two main experimental setups are mounted at the XRF beamline. One consists of a high vacuum chamber adapted to carry out experiments in grazing excitation conditions. This allows chemical trace and ultratrace element determination on several samples, mainly coming from environmental and biological sciences. Another setup consists of an experimental station, operated in air, in which x-ray fluorescence analysis with spatial resolution can be done. This station is equipped with a fine conical capillary, capable of achieving 20 μm spatial resolution, and with an optical microscope in order to select the region of interest on the sample surface. In this work, the main characteristic of the beamline, experimental stations as well as the description of some new experimental facilities will be given. Future development in the instrumentation focuses on an appropriate x-ray optic to be able to carry out chemical trace analysis of light elements using the total x-ray fluorescence technique. Also, chemical mapping below 10 μm spatial resolution, while keeping high flux of photon on the sample, will be achieved by using the Kirkpatrick-Baez x-ray microfocusing optic.
Characterization of multilayer coated replicated Wolter optics for imaging x-ray emission from pulsed power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ames, Andrew; Ampleford, David; Bourdon, Chris

Here, we have developed a process for indirectly coating small diameter electroformed nickel replicated optics with multilayers to increase their response at high energy (i.e. >10 keV). The ability to fabricate small diameter multilayer-coated full-shell Wolter X-ray optics with narrow bandpass opens the door to several applications within astronomy and also provides a path for cross-fertilization to other fields. We report on the characterization and evaluation of the first two prototype X-ray Wolter optics to be delivered to the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The intent is to develop and field several optics as part of anmore » imaging system with targeted spectral ranges.« less
Characterization of multilayer coated replicated Wolter optics for imaging x-ray emission from pulsed power

DOE PAGES

Ames, Andrew; Ampleford, David; Bourdon, Chris; ...

2017-08-29

Here, we have developed a process for indirectly coating small diameter electroformed nickel replicated optics with multilayers to increase their response at high energy (i.e. >10 keV). The ability to fabricate small diameter multilayer-coated full-shell Wolter X-ray optics with narrow bandpass opens the door to several applications within astronomy and also provides a path for cross-fertilization to other fields. We report on the characterization and evaluation of the first two prototype X-ray Wolter optics to be delivered to the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The intent is to develop and field several optics as part of anmore » imaging system with targeted spectral ranges.« less
Characterization of multilayer coated replicated Wolter optics for imaging x-ray emission from pulsed power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ames, A.; Ampleford, D.; Bourdon, C.; Bruni, R.; Kilaru, K.; Kozioziemski, B.; Pivovaroff, M.; Ramsey, B.; Romaine, S.; Vogel, J.; Walton, C.; Wu, M.

2017-08-01

We have developed a process for indirectly coating arbitrarily small diameter electroformed nickel replicated optics with multilayers to increase their response at high energy (i.e. >10 keV). The ability to fabricate small diameter multilayer coated full shell Wolter X-ray optics with narrow bandpass opens the door to several applications within astronomy and also provides a path for cross-fertilization to other fields. We report on the characterization and evaluation of the first two prototype X-ray Wolter optics to be delivered to the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The intent is to develop and field several optics as part of an imaging system with targeted spectral ranges.
Design of a diamond-crystal monochromator for the LCLS hard x-ray self-seeding project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, D.; Shvyd'ko, Y.; Amann, J.; Emma, P.; Stoupin, S.; Quintana, J.

2013-03-01

As the result of collaborations between the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory, and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, we have designed and constructed a diamond crystal monochromator for the LCLS hard x-ray self-seeding project. The novel monochromator is ultrahigh-vacuum compatible to meet the LCLS linear accelerator vacuum environmental requirement. A special graphite holder was designed for strain-free mount of the 110-μm thin synthetic diamond crystal plate provided by Technological Institute for Super-hard and Novel Carbon Materials of Russia (TISNCM). An in-vacuum multi-axis precision positioning mechanism is designed to manipulate the thin-film diamond holder with resolutions and stabilities required by the hard x-ray self-seeding physics. Optical encoders, limit switches, and hardware stops are established in the mechanism to ensure system reliability and to meet the accelerator personal and equipment safety interlock requirements. Molybdenum shields are installed in the monochromator to protect the encoders and associated electronics from radiation damage. Mechanical specifications, designs, and preliminary test results of the diamond monochromator are presented in this paper.
Recent results and future plans for a 45 actuator adaptive x-ray optics experiment at the advanced light source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brejnholt, Nicolai F., E-mail: brejnholt1@llnl.gov; Poyneer, Lisa A.; Hill, Randal M.

2016-07-27

We report on the current status of the Adaptive X-ray Optics project run by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). LLNL is collaborating with the Advanced Light Source (ALS) to demonstrate a near real-time adaptive X-ray optic. To this end, a custom-built 45 cm long deformable mirror has been installed at ALS beamline 5.3.1 (end station 2) for a two-year period that started in September 2014. We will outline general aspects of the instrument, present results from a recent experimental campaign and touch on future plans for the project.
Sequential x-ray diffraction topography at 1-BM x-ray optics testing beamline at the advanced photon source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stoupin, Stanislav, E-mail: sstoupin@aps.anl.gov; Shvyd’ko, Yuri; Trakhtenberg, Emil

2016-07-27

We report progress on implementation and commissioning of sequential X-ray diffraction topography at 1-BM Optics Testing Beamline of the Advanced Photon Source to accommodate growing needs of strain characterization in diffractive crystal optics and other semiconductor single crystals. The setup enables evaluation of strain in single crystals in the nearly-nondispersive double-crystal geometry. Si asymmetric collimator crystals of different crystallographic orientations were designed, fabricated and characterized using in-house capabilities. Imaging the exit beam using digital area detectors permits rapid sequential acquisition of X-ray topographs at different angular positions on the rocking curve of a crystal under investigation. Results on sensitivity andmore » spatial resolution are reported based on experiments with high-quality Si and diamond crystals. The new setup complements laboratory-based X-ray topography capabilities of the Optics group at the Advanced Photon Source.« less

Analytical performance of a versatile laboratory microscopic X-ray fluorescence system for metal uptake studies on argillaceous rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gergely, Felicián; Osán, János; Szabó, B. Katalin; Török, Szabina

2016-02-01

Laboratory-scale microscopic X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) plays an increasingly important role in various fields where multielemental investigations of samples are indispensable. In case of geological samples, the reasonable detection limits (LOD) and spatial resolutions are necessary to identify the trace element content in microcrystalline level. The present study focuses on the analytical performance of a versatile laboratory-scale micro-XRF system with various options of X-ray sources and detectors to find the optimal experimental configuration in terms of sensitivities and LOD for selected elements in loaded petrographic thin sections. The method was tested for sorption studies involving thin sections prepared from cores of Boda Claystone Formation, which is a potential site for a high-level radioactive waste repository. Loaded ions in the sorption measurements were Cs(I) and Ni(II) chemically representing fission and corrosion products. Based on the collected elemental maps, the correlation between the elements representative of main rock components and the selected loaded ion was studied. For the elements of interest, Cs(I) and Ni(II) low-power iMOXS source with polycapillary and silicon drift detector was found to be the best configuration to reach the optimal LOD values. Laboratory micro-XRF was excellent to identify the responsible key minerals for the uptake of Cs(I). In case of nickel, careful corrections were needed because of the relatively high Ca content of the rock samples. The results were compared to synchrotron radiation micro-XRF.
UNDERSTANDING X-RAY STARS:. The Discovery of Binary X-ray Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreier, E. J.; Tananbaum, H.

2000-09-01

The discovery of binary X-ray sources with UHURU introduced many new concepts to astronomy. It provided the canonical model which explained X-ray emission from a large class of galactic X-ray sources: it confirmed the existence of collapsed objects as the source of intense X-ray emission; showed that such collapsed objects existed in binary systems, with mass accretion as the energy source for the X-ray emission; and provided compelling evidence for the existence of black holes. This model also provided the basis for explaining the power source of AGNs and QSOs. The process of discovery and interpretation also established X-ray astronomy as an essential sub-discipline of astronomy, beginning its incorporation into the mainstream of astronomy.
Thoracic spine x-ray

MedlinePlus

Vertebral radiography; X-ray - spine; Thoracic x-ray; Spine x-ray; Thoracic spine films; Back films ... The test is done in a hospital radiology department or in the health care provider's office. You will lie on the x-ray table in different positions. If the x-ray ...
X-ray binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Satellite X-ray experiments and ground-based programs aimed at observation of X-ray binaries are discussed. Experiments aboard OAO-3, OSO-8, Ariel 5, Uhuru, and Skylab are included along with rocket and ground-based observations. Major topics covered are: Her X-1, Cyg X-3, Cen X-3, Cyg X-1, the transient source A0620-00, other possible X-ray binaries, and plans and prospects for future observational programs.
X-ray Magnetic Scattering From Surfaces^*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, Doon

1997-03-01

In the last several years, there have been continuing efforts to probe long-ranged magnetic order at surfaces by x-ray and neutron diffraction, following many earlier studies by low energy electron diffraction. The main motivation has been to discover how bulk magnetic structures are modified near a surface, where the crystal symmetry is broken. In this talk, we describe x-ray scattering studies of the magnetic structure observed near the (001) surface of the antiferromagnet uranium dioxide.(G. M. Watson, Doon Gibbs, G. H. Lander, B. D. Gaulin, L.E. Berman, Hj. Matzke and W. Ellis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77), 751 (1996). Within about 50 Åof the surface, the intensity of the magnetic scattering decreases continuously as the bulk Neel temperature is approached from below. This contrasts with the bulk magnetic ordering transition which is discontinuous. Recent measurements of the specular magnetic reflectivity suggest that the width of the magnetic interface diverges as a power-law in reduced temperature reminiscent of surface induced disorder. Related experiments concerned with magnetic crystallography of Co_3-Pt(111) surfaces(S. Ferrer, P. Fajardo, F. de Bergevin, J. Alvarez, X. Torrelles, H. A. van der Vegt and V. H. Etgens, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77), 747 (1996). and interfacial magnetic roughness of Co/Cu multilayers(J. F. MacKay, C. Teichert, D.E. Savage and M.G. Lagally, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77), 3925 (1996). will also be discussed. ^* Work at Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-CH7600016.
The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Steve; Weisskopf, M.; Soffitta, P.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Costa, E.; Elsner, R.; Kaspi, V.; Kolodziejczak, J.; Latronico, L.;

2017-01-01

Mission background: Imaging x-ray polarimetry in 2–8 kiloelectronvolt band; NASA Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX) selected in 2017 January. Orbit: Pegasus-XL (airborne) launch in 2021, from Kwajalein; Equatorial circular orbit at greater than or approximately equal to 540 kilometers (620 kilometers, goal) altitude. Flight system: Spacecraft, payload structure, and integration by Ball Aerospace - Deployable payload boom from Orbital-ATK, under contract to Ball; X-ray Mirror Module Assemblies by NASA/MSFC; X-ray (polarization-sensitive) Instruments by IAPS/INAF (Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali / Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) and INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare). Ground system: ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) Malindi ground station, with Singapore backup; Mission Operations Center at LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado); Science Operations Center at NASA/MSFC; Data archive at HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center), (NASA/GSFC), mirror at ASI Data Center. Science: Active galactic nuclei; Microquasars; Radio pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae; Supernova remnants; Magnetars; Accreting x-ray pulsars.

X-ray K-edge analysis of drain lines in Wilhelm Hall, Ames Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jensen, T.; Whitmore, C.

1999-01-05

From August 12--27, 1998 X-ray K-edge measurements were made on drain lines in seven rooms in Wilhelm Hall, Ames Laboratory. The purpose of these measurements was to determine the extent of thorium (and other heavy metal) contamination inside these pipes. The K-edge method is a noninvasive inspection technique that can provide accurate quantification of heavy metal contamination interior to an object. Of the seven drain lines inspected, one was found to have no significant contamination, three showed significant thorium deposits, two showed mercury contamination, and one line was found to contain mercury, thorium and uranium. The K-edge measurements were foundmore » to be consistent with readings from hand-held survey meters, and provided much greater detail on the location and amount of heavy metal contamination.« less
Full-field transmission x-ray imaging with confocal polycapillary x-ray optics

PubMed Central

Sun, Tianxi; MacDonald, C. A.

2013-01-01

A transmission x-ray imaging setup based on a confocal combination of a polycapillary focusing x-ray optic followed by a polycapillary collimating x-ray optic was designed and demonstrated to have good resolution, better than the unmagnified pixel size and unlimited by the x-ray tube spot size. This imaging setup has potential application in x-ray imaging for small samples, for example, for histology specimens. PMID:23460760
X-ray generator

DOEpatents

Dawson, John M.

1976-01-01

Apparatus and method for producing coherent secondary x-rays that are controlled as to direction by illuminating a mixture of high z and low z gases with an intense burst of primary x-rays. The primary x-rays are produced with a laser activated plasma, and these x-rays strip off the electrons of the high z atoms in the lasing medium, while the low z atoms retain their electrons. The neutral atoms transfer electrons to highly excited states of the highly striped high z ions giving an inverted population which produces the desired coherent x-rays. In one embodiment, a laser, light beam provides a laser spark that produces the intense burst of coherent x-rays that illuminates the mixture of high z and low z gases, whereby the high z atoms are stripped while the low z ones are not, giving the desired mixture of highly ionized and neutral atoms. To this end, the laser spark is produced by injecting a laser light beam, or a plurality of beams, into a first gas in a cylindrical container having an adjacent second gas layer co-axial therewith, the laser producing a plasma and the intense primary x-rays in the first gas, and the second gas containing the high and low atomic number elements for receiving the primary x-rays, whereupon the secondary x-rays are produced therein by stripping desired ions in a neutral gas and transfer of electrons to highly excited states of the stripped ions from the unionized atoms. Means for magnetically confining and stabilizing the plasma are disclosed for controlling the direction of the x-rays.
Ground calibrations of the X-ray detector system of the Solar Intensity X-ray Spectrometer (SIXS) on board BepiColombo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huovelin, Juhani; Lehtolainen, Arto; Genzer, Maria; Korpela, Seppo; Esko, Eero; Andersson, Hans

2014-05-01

SIXS includes X-ray and particle detector systems for the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). Its task is to monitor the direct solar X-rays and energetic particles in a wide field of view in the energy range of 1-20 keV (X-rays), 0.1-3 MeV (electrons) and 1-30 MeV (protons). The main purpose of these measurements is to provide quantitative information on the high energy radiation incident on Mercury's surface which causes the X-ray glow of the planet measured by the MIXS instrument. The X-ray and particle measurements of SIXS are also useful for investigations of the solar corona and the magnetosphere of Mercury. The ground calibrations of the X-ray detectors of the SIXS flight model were carried out in the X-ray laboratory of the Helsinki University during May and June 2012. The aim of the ground calibrations was to characterize the performance of the SIXS instrument's three High-Purity Silicon PIN X-ray detectors and verify that they fulfil their scientific performance requirements. The calibrations included the determination of the beginning of life energy resolution at different operational temperatures, determination of the detector's sensitivity within the field of view as a function of the off-axis and roll angles, pile-up tests for determining the speed of the read out electronics, measurements of the low energy threshold of the energy scale, a cross-calibration with the SMART-1 XSM flight spare detector, and the determination of the temperature dependence of the energy scale. An X-ray tube and the detectors' internal Ti coated 55Fe calibration sources were used as primary X-ray sources. In addition, two external fluorescence sources were used as secondary X-ray sources in the determination of the energy resolutions and in the comparison calibration with the SMART-1 XSM. The calibration results show that the detectors fulfill all of the scientific performance requirements. The ground calibration data combined with the instrument house-keeping data
MaRIE X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Pre-Conceptual Design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlsten, Bruce E.; Barnes, Cris W.; Bishofberger, Kip A.

2011-01-01

The proposed Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes (MaRIE) facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory will include a 50-keV X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL), a significant extension from planned and existing XFEL facilities. To prevent an unacceptably large energy spread arsing from energy diffusion, the electron beam energy should not exceed 20 GeV, which puts a significant constraint on the beam emittance. A 100-pC baseline design is presented along with advanced technology options to increase the photon flux and to decrease the spectral bandwidth through pre-bunching the electron beam.
X-ray lithography masking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Henry I. (Inventor); Lim, Michael (Inventor); Carter, James (Inventor); Schattenburg, Mark (Inventor)

1998-01-01

X-ray masking apparatus includes a frame having a supporting rim surrounding an x-ray transparent region, a thin membrane of hard inorganic x-ray transparent material attached at its periphery to the supporting rim covering the x-ray transparent region and a layer of x-ray opaque material on the thin membrane inside the x-ray transparent region arranged in a pattern to selectively transmit x-ray energy entering the x-ray transparent region through the membrane to a predetermined image plane separated from the layer by the thin membrane. A method of making the masking apparatus includes depositing back and front layers of hard inorganic x-ray transparent material on front and back surfaces of a substrate, depositing back and front layers of reinforcing material on the back and front layers, respectively, of the hard inorganic x-ray transparent material, removing the material including at least a portion of the substrate and the back layers of an inside region adjacent to the front layer of hard inorganic x-ray transparent material, removing a portion of the front layer of reinforcing material opposite the inside region to expose the surface of the front layer of hard inorganic x-ray transparent material separated from the inside region by the latter front layer, and depositing a layer of x-ray opaque material on the surface of the latter front layer adjacent to the inside region.
A new generation of x-ray spectrometry UHV instruments at the SR facilities BESSY II, ELETTRA and SOLEIL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lubeck, J., E-mail: janin.lubeck@ptb.de; Fliegauf, R.; Holfelder, I.

A novel type of ultra-high vacuum instrument for X-ray reflectometry and spectrometry-related techniques for nanoanalytics by means of synchrotron radiation (SR) has been constructed and commissioned at BESSY II. This versa-tile instrument was developed by the PTB, Germany’s national metrology institute, and includes a 9-axis manipulator that allows for an independent alignment of the samples with respect to all degrees of freedom. In addition, it integrates a rotational and translational movement of several photodiodes as well as a translational movement of a beam-geometry-defining aperture system. Thus, the new instrument enables various analytical techniques based on energy dispersive X-ray detectors suchmore » as reference-free X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis, total-reflection XRF, grazing-incidence XRF, in addition to optional X-Ray Reflectometry (XRR) measurements or polarization-dependent X-ray absorption fine structure analyses (XAFS). Samples having a size of up to (100 × 100) mm{sup 2}; can be analyzed with respect to their mass deposition, elemental, spatial or species composition. Surface contamination, nanolayer composition and thickness, depth pro-file of matrix elements or implants, nanoparticles or buried interfaces as well as molecular orientation of bonds can be accessed. Three technology transfer projects of adapted instruments have enhanced X-Ray Spectrometry (XRS) research activities within Europe at the synchrotron radiation facilities ELETTRA (IAEA) and SOLEIL (CEA/LNE-LNHB) as well as at the X-ray innovation laboratory BLiX (TU Berlin) where different laboratory sources are used. Here, smaller chamber requirements led PTB in cooperation with TU Berlin to develop a modified instrument equipped with a 7-axis manipulator: reduced freedom in the choice of experimental geometry modifications (absence of out-of-SR-plane and reference-free XRS options) has been compensated by encoder-enhanced angular accuracy for GIXRF and XRR.« less
Studies of soft x-ray transmission through grid supported CH layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, J. S.; Keiter, P. A.; Klein, S. R.; Frank, Y.; Drake, R. P.; Shvarts, D.

2017-10-01

Recent experiments have shown that it may be possible to use laser-heated high-Z foils to drive new radiation transport (RadTran) experiments in gas fill tubes. These tubes must be pressurized above 1atm and the x-ray source needs to be physically separated from the gas. To achieve this, a grid-supported CH seal is implemented. The grid reduces the total surface area of the gas-seal interaction region lowering the thickness requirements for the CH layer. However, as mesh spacing is reduced, hole closure from wire ablation may reduce the x-ray flux. To optimize the seal design, experiments were performed measuring x-ray transmission through CH layers supported by meshes composed of copper, gold, or stainless steel and using hexagonal or square mesh geometries. The x-ray source was formed by heating a 0.5 μm thick planar gold foil with a 4 ns laser pulse at an intensity of 2 ×1014 W / cm 2. Emission data was collected using an x-ray framing camera and a Dante photodiode array. Experiments show that the CH layers can reach effective temperatures of nearly 100 eV but mesh design significantly affects performance, with a nearly 20 eV difference between the best and worst performing seal targets. This talk will discuss our findings and their impact on future RadTran experiments. This work is funded by the U.S. DOE, through the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in HED Laboratory Plasmas, Grant Number DE-NA0001840, the National LUFP, Grant Number DE-NA0000850, and through NNSA/OICF under Cooperatvie Agreement No. DE-FC52-08NA2830.
Sinus x-ray

MedlinePlus

Paranasal sinus radiography; X-ray - sinuses ... sinus x-ray is taken in a hospital radiology department. Or the x-ray may be taken ... Brown J, Rout J. ENT, neck, and dental radiology. In: Adam A, Dixon AK, Gillard JH, Schaefer- ...
Emission Mechanisms in X-Ray Faint Elliptical Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, B. A.; Bregman, J. N.

1999-12-01

To understand the X-ray emission in normal elliptical galaxies, it is important to determine the relative contributions of hot interstellar gas and discrete sources to the observed emission. In X-ray luminous ellipticals, a hot gaseous component dominates the emission from X-ray binaries and other discrete sources. It is expected that, as one looks toward lower X-ray luminous galaxies, that the hot gas will contribute less to the overall X-ray emission and that discrete sources will supply most, if not all of, the observed X-ray emission. Here we examine ROSAT HRI and PSPC data for seventeen optically bright (BT < 11.15) elliptical galaxies with log(LX/L_B) < 29.7 ergs s-1/L⊙ . Radial surface brightness profiles are modeled with a modified King beta model and a de Vaucouleurs r1/4 law (similar to a beta = 0.5 beta model). For galaxy profiles where the two models are easily distinguishable, the models are combined, and fit to the data to determine or set upper limits to the discrete source contribution. The modeled data suggest that X-ray faint elliptical galaxies may still retain a sizable fraction of hot gas, but that emission from discrete sources are a significant component of the total observed X-ray emission. Support for this project has been provided by NASA and the National Academy of Sciences.
Space Science at Los Alamos National Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Karl

2017-09-01

The Space Science and Applications group (ISR-1) in the Intelligence and Space Research (ISR) division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory lead a number of space science missions for civilian and defense-related programs. In support of these missions the group develops sensors capable of detecting nuclear emissions and measuring radiations in space including γ-ray, X-ray, charged-particle, and neutron detection. The group is involved in a number of stages of the lifetime of these sensors including mission concept and design, simulation and modeling, calibration, and data analysis. These missions support monitoring of the atmosphere and near-Earth space environment for nuclear detonations as well as monitoring of the local space environment including space-weather type events. Expertise in this area has been established over a long history of involvement with cutting-edge projects continuing back to the first space based monitoring mission Project Vela. The group's interests cut across a large range of topics including non-proliferation, space situational awareness, nuclear physics, material science, space physics, astrophysics, and planetary physics.
Low Energy X-Ray and Electron Physics and Technology for High-Temperature Plasma Diagnostics

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-01

This program in low-energy x-ray physics and technology has expanded into a major program with the principal objective of supporting research and application programs at the new large x-ray source facilities, particularly the high temperature plasma and synchrotron radiation sources. This program addresses the development of absolute x-ray diagnostics for the fusion energy and x-ray laser research and development. The new laboratory includes five specially designed
Development and tests of x-ray multifoil optical system for 1D imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pína, Ladislav; Hudec, René; Inneman, Adolf J.; Baca, Tomas; Blazek, M.; Platkevic, M.; Sieger, Ladislav; Doubravova, Daniela; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Schultz, Ted B.; Dániel, Vladimír.

2016-09-01

The proposed wide-field optical system has not been used yet. Described novel approach is based on the use of 1D "Lobster eye" optics in combination with Timepix X-ray detector in the energy range 3 - 40 keV. The proposed project includes theoretical study and a functional sample of the Timepix X-ray detector with multifoil wide-field X-ray "Lobster eye" optics. Using optics to focus X-rays on a detector is necessary in cases where the intensity of impinging X-ray radiation is below the sensitivity of the detector without optic. Generally this is the case of very low light phenomena, or e.g. monitoring astrophysical objects in space. Namely, such optical system could find applications in laboratory spectroscopy systems or in a rocket space experiment. Designed wide-field optical system combined with Timepix X-ray detector is described together with experimental results obtained during laboratory tests.
Development and Characterization of a 16.3 keV X-Ray Source at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fournier, K. B.; Barrios, M. A.; Schneider, M. B.; Khan, S.; Chen, H.; Coppari, F.; Rygg, R.; Hohenberger, M.; Albert, F.; Moody, J.; Ralph, J.; Kemp, G. E.; Regan, S. P.

2014-10-01

X-ray sources at the National Ignition Facility are needed for radiography of in-flight capsules in inertial confinement fusion experiments and for diffraction studies of materials at high pressures. In the former case, we want to optimize signal to noise and signal over background ratios for the radiograph, in the latter case, we want to minimize high-energy emission from the backlighter that creates background on the diffraction data. Four interleaved shots at NIF were taken in one day, with laser irradiances on a Zr backlighter target ranging from 5 to 14 × 1015 W/cm2. Two shots were for source optimization as a function of laser irradiance. X-ray fluxes were measured with the time-resolved NIF X-ray Spectrometer (NXS) and the DANTE array of calibrated, filtered diodes. Two shots were optimized to make backscatter measurements with the FABS and NBI optical power systems. The backscatter levels are investigated to look for correlation with hot electron populations inferred from high-energy x rays measured with the FFLEX broadband spectrometer. Results from all shots are presented and compared with models. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by LLNL under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Recent X-ray Variability of Eta Car Approaching The X-ray Eclipse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corcoran, M.; Swank, J. H.; Ishibashi, K.; Gull, T.; Humphreys, R.; Damineli, A.; Walborn, N.; Hillier, D. J.; Davidson, K.; White, S. M.

2002-01-01

We discuss recent X-ray spectral variability of the supermassive star Eta Car in the interval since the last X-ray eclipse in 1998. We concentrate on the interval just prior to the next X-ray eclipse which is expected to occur in June 2003. We compare the X-ray behavior during the 2001-2003 cycle with the previous cycle (1996-1998) and note similarities and differences in the temporal X-ray behavior. We also compare a recent X-ray observation of Eta Car obtained with the Chandra high energy transmission grating in October 2002 with an earlier observation from Nov 2002, and interpret these results in terms of the proposed colliding wind binary model for the star. In addition we discuss planned observations for the upcoming X-ray eclipse.
Large area soft x-ray collimator to facilitate x-ray optics testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Espy, Samuel L.

1994-01-01

The first objective of this program is to design a nested conical foil x-ray optic which will collimate x-rays diverging from a point source. The collimator could then be employed in a small, inexpensive x-ray test stand which would be used to test various x-ray optics and detector systems. The second objective is to demonstrate the fabrication of the x-ray reflectors for this optic using lacquer-smoothing and zero-stress electroforming techniques.
Development of x-ray laminography under an x-ray microscopic condition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoshino, Masato; Uesugi, Kentaro; Takeuchi, Akihisa

2011-07-15

An x-ray laminography system under an x-ray microscopic condition was developed to obtain a three-dimensional structure of laterally-extended planar objects which were difficult to observe by x-ray tomography. An x-ray laminography technique was introduced to an x-ray transmission microscope with zone plate optics. Three prototype sample holders were evaluated for x-ray imaging laminography. Layered copper grid sheets were imaged as a laminated sample. Diatomite powder on a silicon nitride membrane was measured to confirm the applicability of this method to non-planar micro-specimens placed on the membrane. The three-dimensional information of diatom shells on the membrane was obtained at a spatialmore » resolution of sub-micron. Images of biological cells on the membrane were also obtained by using a Zernike phase contrast technique.« less
MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction X-Ray Fluorescence (CheMin) Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, Wayne; Blake, Dave; Harris, William; Morookian, John Michael; Randall, Dave; Reder, Leonard J.; Sarrazin, Phillipe

2013-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Chemistry and Mineralogy Xray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) (CheMin) Instrument, an element of the landed Curiosity rover payload, which landed on Mars in August of 2012. The scientific goal of the MSL mission is to explore and quantitatively assess regions in Gale Crater as a potential habitat for life - past or present. The CheMin instrument will receive Martian rock and soil samples from the MSL Sample Acquisition/Sample Processing and Handling (SA/SPaH) system, and process it utilizing X-Ray spectroscopy methods to determine mineral composition. The Chemin instrument will analyze Martian soil and rocks to enable scientists to investigate geophysical processes occurring on Mars. The CheMin science objectives and proposed surface operations are described along with the CheMin hardware with an emphasis on the system engineering challenges associated with developing such a complex instrument.
Locating Stardust-like Particles in Aerogel Using X-Ray Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, A. J. G.; Jones, S. M.; Tsapin, A.; Mih, D. T.; Connolly, H. C., Jr.; Graham, G. A.

2003-01-01

Silica aerogel is the material that the spacecraft STARDUST is using to collect interstellar and cometary silicates. Anticipating the return of the samples to earth in January of 2006, MANY individual investigators and, especially, the investigators in NASA's SRLIDAP program are studying means of both in situ analysis of particles, as well as particle extraction. To help individual PI's with extraction of particles from aerogel in their own laboratories, we are exploring the use of standard laboratory x-ray equipment and commercial techniques for precisely locating specific particles in aerogel. We approached the evaluation of commercial x-ray techniques as follows. First, we determined the most appropriate detector for use with aerogel and particulates. Then, we compared and contrasted techniques useful for university laboratories.
The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Ramsey, Brian; O’Dell, Stephen; Tennant, Allyn; Elsner, Ronald; Soffita, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Kaspi, Victoria;

2016-01-01

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is an exciting international collaboration for a scientific mission that dramatically brings together the unique talents of the partners to expand observation space by simultaneously adding polarization measurements to the array of source properties currently measured (energy, time, and location). IXPE uniquely brings to the table polarimetric imaging. IXPE will thus open new dimensions for understanding how X-ray emission is produced in astrophysical objects, especially systems under extreme physical conditions-such as neutron stars and black holes. Polarization singularly probes physical anisotropies-ordered magnetic fields, aspheric matter distributions, or general relativistic coupling to black-hole spin-that are not otherwise measurable. Hence, IXPE complements all other investigations in high-energy astrophysics by adding important and relatively unexplored information to the parameter space for studying cosmic X-ray sources and processes, as well as for using extreme astrophysical environments as laboratories for fundamental physics.

A Compact Soft X-Ray Microscope using an Electrode-less Z-Pinch Source.

PubMed

Horne, S F; Silterra, J; Holber, W

2009-01-01

Soft X-rays (< 1Kev) are of medical interest both for imaging and microdosimetry applications. X-ray sources at this low energy present a technological challenge. Synchrotrons, while very powerful and flexible, are enormously expensive national research facilities. Conventional X-ray sources based on electron bombardment can be compact and inexpensive, but low x-ray production efficiencies at low electron energies restrict this approach to very low power applications. Laser-based sources tend to be expensive and unreliable. Energetiq Technology, Inc. (Woburn, MA, USA) markets a 92 eV, 10W(2pi sr) electrode-less Z-pinch source developed for advanced semiconductor lithography. A modified version of this commercial product has produced 400 mW at 430 eV (2pi sr), appropriate for water window soft X-ray microscopy. The US NIH has funded Energetiq to design and construct a demonstration microscope using this source, coupled to a condenser optic, as the illumination system. The design of the condenser optic matches the unique characteristics of the source to the illumination requirements of the microscope, which is otherwise a conventional design. A separate program is underway to develop a microbeam system, in conjunction with the RARAF facility at Columbia University, NY, USA. The objective is to develop a focused, sub-micron beam capable of delivering > 1 Gy/second to the nucleus of a living cell. While most facilities of this type are coupled to a large and expensive particle accelerator, the Z-pinch X-ray source enables a compact, stand-alone design suitable to a small laboratory. The major technical issues in this system involve development of suitable focusing X-ray optics. Current status of these programs will be reported.
A Compact Soft X-Ray Microscope using an Electrode-less Z-Pinch Source

PubMed Central

Silterra, J; Holber, W

2009-01-01

Soft X-rays (< 1Kev) are of medical interest both for imaging and microdosimetry applications. X-ray sources at this low energy present a technological challenge. Synchrotrons, while very powerful and flexible, are enormously expensive national research facilities. Conventional X-ray sources based on electron bombardment can be compact and inexpensive, but low x-ray production efficiencies at low electron energies restrict this approach to very low power applications. Laser-based sources tend to be expensive and unreliable. Energetiq Technology, Inc. (Woburn, MA, USA) markets a 92 eV, 10W(2pi sr) electrode-less Z-pinch source developed for advanced semiconductor lithography. A modified version of this commercial product has produced 400 mW at 430 eV (2pi sr), appropriate for water window soft X-ray microscopy. The US NIH has funded Energetiq to design and construct a demonstration microscope using this source, coupled to a condenser optic, as the illumination system. The design of the condenser optic matches the unique characteristics of the source to the illumination requirements of the microscope, which is otherwise a conventional design. A separate program is underway to develop a microbeam system, in conjunction with the RARAF facility at Columbia University, NY, USA. The objective is to develop a focused, sub-micron beam capable of delivering > 1 Gy/second to the nucleus of a living cell. While most facilities of this type are coupled to a large and expensive particle accelerator, the Z-pinch X-ray source enables a compact, stand-alone design suitable to a small laboratory. The major technical issues in this system involve development of suitable focusing X-ray optics. Current status of these programs will be reported. PMID:20198115
PREFACE: 22nd International Congress on X-Ray Optics and Microanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkenberg, Gerald; Schroer, Christian G.

2014-04-01

fees low and to distribute eight student travel grants. The Wednesday was devoted to an outing to DESY with guided tours to PETRA III and FLASH experiments and to the European XFEL construction site. A lecture was given by Henry Chapman introducing to structural imaging at X-ray free-electron lasers. Talks highlighting the current status and future of nanoanalysis at the leading synchrotron facilities APS (J Maser), ESRF (P Cloetens) and SPRing8 (Ishikawa) were given in the DESY auditorium offering other DESY scientists the opportunity to follow the talks. Participants A higher quality version of this image is available in supplementary data Further information about ICXOM22, including a detailed program and electronic abstract book, can be found on the congress website www.icxom22.de. We thank all the participants of ICXOM22, everybody who helped in the organization and are looking forward to hearing about further progress during ICXOM23, which will be organized by Brookhaven National Laboratory in Uptown, New York. Gerald Falkenberg ICXOM22 conference chair Christian Schroer ICXOM22 co-chair
Single-pulse coherent diffraction imaging using soft x-ray laser.

PubMed

Kang, Hyon Chol; Kim, Hyung Taek; Kim, Sang Soo; Kim, Chan; Yu, Tae Jun; Lee, Seong Ku; Kim, Chul Min; Kim, I Jong; Sung, Jae Hee; Janulewicz, Karol A; Lee, Jongmin; Noh, Do Young

2012-05-15

We report a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) using a single 8 ps soft x-ray laser pulse at a wavelength of 13.9 nm. The soft x-ray pulse was generated by a laboratory-scale intense pumping laser providing coherent x-ray pulses up to the level of 10(11) photons/pulse. A spatial resolution below 194 nm was achieved with a single pulse, and it was shown that a resolution below 55 nm is feasible with improved detector capability. The single-pulse CDI might provide a way to investigate dynamics of nanoscale molecules or particles.
Panoramic Dental X-Ray

MedlinePlus

... Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Panoramic Dental X-ray Panoramic dental x-ray uses a very small dose of ... x-ray , is a two-dimensional (2-D) dental x-ray examination that captures the entire mouth ...
Determination of the resolution of the x-ray microscope XM-1 at beamline 6.1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heck, J.M.; Meyer-Ilse, W.; Attwood, D.T.

1997-04-01

Resolution determination in x-ray microscopy is a complex issue which depends on many factors. Many different criteria and experimental setups are used to characterize resolution. Some of the important factors affecting resolution include the partial coherence and spectrum of the illumination. The purpose of this research has been to measure the resolution of XM-1 at beamline 6.1 taking into account these factors, and to compare the measurements to theoretical calculations. The x-ray microscope XM-1, built by the Center for X-ray Optics (CXRO), has been operational since 1994 at the Advanced Light Source at E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It ismore » of the conventional (i.e. full-field) type, utilizing zone plate optics. ALS bending magnet radiation is focused by a condenser zone plate onto a monochromator pinhole immediately in front of the sample. X-rays transmitted through the sample are focused by a micro-zone plate onto a CCD camera. The pinhole and the condenser with a central stop constitute a linear monochromator. The spectral distribution of the light illuminating the sample has been calculated assuming geometrical optics.« less
Single-Shot X-Ray Phase-Contrast Computed Tomography with Nonmicrofocal Laboratory Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diemoz, P. C.; Hagen, C. K.; Endrizzi, M.; Minuti, M.; Bellazzini, R.; Urbani, L.; De Coppi, P.; Olivo, A.

2017-04-01

We present a method that enables performing x-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) computed tomography with a laboratory setup using a single image per projection angle, eliminating the need to move optical elements during acquisition. Theoretical derivation of the method is presented, and its validity conditions are provided. The object is assumed to be quasihomogeneous, i.e., to feature a ratio between the refractive index and the linear attenuation coefficient that is approximately constant across the field of view. The method is experimentally demonstrated on a plastics phantom and on biological samples using a continuous rotation acquisition scheme achieving scan times of a few minutes. Moreover, we show that such acquisition times can be further reduced with the use of a high-efficiency photon-counting detector. Thanks to its ability to substantially simplify the image-acquisition procedure and greatly reduce collection times, we believe this method represents a very important step towards the application of XPCI to real-world problems.
Lithium metal for x-ray filters and refractive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, N. R.; Dufresne, Eric; Dierker, Steve

2001-04-01

Lithium is the most x-ray transparent solid element. Lithium is very stable in dry air with a dew point below -50 C or so, but as the humidity increases lithium starts to react with the air's nitrogen and oxygen. Under usual laboratory conditions a shiny piece of lithium metal becomes a white powder within the hour, preventing lithium's widespread use in x-ray work. Use of lithium as a window for pulsed x-rays demands that lithium withstands corrosion in open air for at least 15 minutes. Protection by a one micron layer of parylene turns out to be enough. Although parylene absorbs soft x-rays 12 times more than lithium, the parylene layer can remain in place for the window application. Lithium is also ideal for refractive x-ray lenses. We are evaluating the performance of such lenses with 10 keV photons from the MHATT-CAT beam line at the Advanced Photon Source. These measurements are in progress: the paper will show the results from these measurements as available.
The Generation-X X-ray Observatory Vision Mission and Technology Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Figueroa-Feliciano, Enectali

2004-01-01

The new frontier in astrophysics is the study of the birth and evolution of the first stars, galaxies and black holes in the early Universe. X-ray astronomy opens a window into these objects by studying the emission from black holes, supernova explosions and the gamma-ray burst afterglows of massive stars. However, such objects are beyond the grasp of current or near-future observatories. X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of such distant objects will require an X-ray telescope with large collecting area and high angular resolution. Our team has conceived the Generation-X Vision Mission based on an X-ray observatory with 100 sq m collecting area at 1 keV (1000 times larger than Chandra) and 0.1 arcsecond angular resolution (several times better than Chandra and 50 times better than the Constellation-X resolution goal). Such an observatory would be capable of detecting the earliest black holes and galaxies in the Universe, and will also study extremes of density, gravity, magnetic fields, and kinetic energy which cannot be created in laboratories. NASA has selected the Generation-X mission for study under its Vision Mission Program. We describe the studies being performed to develop the mission concept and define candidate technologies and performance requirements for Generation-X. The baseline Generation-X mission involves four 8m diameter X-ray telescopes operating at Sun-Earth L2. We trade against an alternate concept of a single 26m diameter telescope with focal plane instruments on a separate spacecraft. A telescope of this size will require either robotic or human-assisted in-flight assembly. The required effective area implies that extremely lightweight grazing incidence X-ray optics must be developed. To achieve the required aerial density of at least 100 times lower than in Chandra, we will study 0.1mm thick mirrors which have active on-orbit figure control. We discuss the suite of required detectors, including a large FOV high angular resolution imager, a
Airborne particulate matter (PM) filter analysis and modeling by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and X-ray standing wave (XSW).

PubMed

Borgese, L; Salmistraro, M; Gianoncelli, A; Zacco, A; Lucchini, R; Zimmerman, N; Pisani, L; Siviero, G; Depero, L E; Bontempi, E

2012-01-30

This work is presented as an improvement of a recently introduced method for airborne particulate matter (PM) filter analysis [1]. X-ray standing wave (XSW) and total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) were performed with a new dedicated laboratory instrumentation. The main advantage of performing both XSW and TXRF, is the possibility to distinguish the nature of the sample: if it is a small droplet dry residue, a thin film like or a bulk sample. Another advantage is related to the possibility to select the angle of total reflection to make TXRF measurements. Finally, the possibility to switch the X-ray source allows to measure with more accuracy lighter and heavier elements (with a change in X-ray anode, for example from Mo to Cu). The aim of the present study is to lay the theoretical foundation of the new proposed method for airborne PM filters quantitative analysis improving the accuracy and efficiency of quantification by means of an external standard. The theoretical model presented and discussed demonstrated that airborne PM filters can be considered as thin layers. A set of reference samples is prepared in laboratory and used to obtain a calibration curve. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method for quantitative analysis of air PM filters is affordable and reliable without the necessity to digest filters to obtain quantitative chemical analysis, and that the use of XSW improve the accuracy of TXRF analysis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Experimental characterization of an ultra-fast Thomson scattering x-ray source with three-dimensional time and frequency-domain analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuba, J; Slaughter, D R; Fittinghoff, D N

We present a detailed comparison of the measured characteristics of Thomson backscattered x-rays produced at the PLEIADES (Picosecond Laser-Electron Interaction for the Dynamic Evaluation of Structures) facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to predicted results from a newly developed, fully three-dimensional time and frequency-domain code. Based on the relativistic differential cross section, this code has the capability to calculate time and space dependent spectra of the x-ray photons produced from linear Thomson scattering for both bandwidth-limited and chirped incident laser pulses. Spectral broadening of the scattered x-ray pulse resulting from the incident laser bandwidth, perpendicular wave vector components in themore » laser focus, and the transverse and longitudinal phase space of the electron beam are included. Electron beam energy, energy spread, and transverse phase space measurements of the electron beam at the interaction point are presented, and the corresponding predicted x-ray characteristics are determined. In addition, time-integrated measurements of the x-rays produced from the interaction are presented, and shown to agree well with the simulations.« less
Flat Field Anomalies in an X-ray CCD Camera Measured Using a Manson X-ray Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

M. J. Haugh and M. B. Schneider

2008-10-31

The Static X-ray Imager (SXI) is a diagnostic used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the position of the X-rays produced by lasers hitting a gold foil target. The intensity distribution taken by the SXI camera during a NIF shot is used to determine how accurately NIF can aim laser beams. This is critical to proper NIF operation. Imagers are located at the top and the bottom of the NIF target chamber. The CCD chip is an X-ray sensitive silicon sensor, with a large format array (2k x 2k), 24 μm square pixels, and 15 μm thick. Amore » multi-anode Manson X-ray source, operating up to 10kV and 10W, was used to characterize and calibrate the imagers. The output beam is heavily filtered to narrow the spectral beam width, giving a typical resolution E/ΔE≈10. The X-ray beam intensity was measured using an absolute photodiode that has accuracy better than 1% up to the Si K edge and better than 5% at higher energies. The X-ray beam provides full CCD illumination and is flat, within ±1% maximum to minimum. The spectral efficiency was measured at 10 energy bands ranging from 930 eV to 8470 eV. We observed an energy dependent pixel sensitivity variation that showed continuous change over a large portion of the CCD. The maximum sensitivity variation occurred at 8470 eV. The geometric pattern did not change at lower energies, but the maximum contrast decreased and was not observable below 4 keV. We were also able to observe debris, damage, and surface defects on the CCD chip. The Manson source is a powerful tool for characterizing the imaging errors of an X-ray CCD imager. These errors are quite different from those found in a visible CCD imager.« less
A novel von Hamos spectrometer for efficient X-ray emission spectroscopy in the laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anklamm, Lars, E-mail: anklamm@physik.tu-berlin.de; Schlesiger, Christopher; Malzer, Wolfgang

2014-05-15

We present a novel, highly efficient von Hamos spectrometer for X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) in the laboratory using highly annealed pyrolitic graphite crystals as the dispersive element. The spectrometer covers an energy range from 2.5 keV to 15 keV giving access to chemical speciation and information about the electronic configuration of 3d transition metals by means of the Kβ multiplet. XES spectra of Ti compounds are presented to demonstrate the speciation capabilities of the instrument. A spectral resolving power of E/ΔE = 2000 at 8 keV was achieved. Typical acquisition times range from 10 min for bulk material to hours formore » thin samples below 1 μm.« less
Advances in engineering nanometrology at the National Physical Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leach, Richard K.; Claverley, James; Giusca, Claudiu; Jones, Christopher W.; Nimishakavi, Lakshmi; Sun, Wenjuan; Tedaldi, Matthew; Yacoot, Andrew

2012-07-01

The National Physical Laboratory, UK, has been active in the field of engineering nanometrology for a number of years. A summary of progress over the last five years is presented in this paper and the following research projects discussed in detail. (1) Development of an infrastructure for the calibration of instruments for measuring areal surface topography, along with the development of areal software measurement standards. This work comprises the use of the optical transfer function and a technique for the simultaneous measurement of topography and the phase change on reflection, allowing composite materials to be measured. (2) Development of a vibrating micro-CMM probe with isotropic probing reaction and the ability to operate in a non-contact mode. (3) A review of x-ray computed tomography and its use in dimensional metrology. (4) The further development of a metrology infrastructure for atomic force microscopy and the development of an instrument for the measurement of the effect of the probe-surface interaction. (5) Traceable measurement of displacement using optical and x-ray interferometry to picometre accuracy. (6) Development of an infrastructure for low-force metrology, including the development of appropriate transfer artefacts.

First Results from a Microfocus X-Ray System for Macromolecular Crystallography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gubarev, Mikhail; Ciszak, Ewa; Ponomarev, Igor; Gibson, Walter; Joy, Marshall

1999-01-01

The design and performance of a 40 Watt laboratory crystallography system optimized for the structure determination of small protein crystals are described. This system combines a microfocus x-ray generator (40 microns FWHM spot size at a power level of 40 Watts) and a short focal length (F = 2.6 mm) polycapillary collimating optic, and produces a small diameter quasi-parallel x-ray beam. Measurements of x-ray flux, divergence and spectral purity of the resulting x-ray beam are presented. The x-ray flux in a 250 microns diameter aperture produced by the microfocus system is 14.7 times higher .than that from a 3.15 kW rotating anode generator equipped with graphite monochromator. Crystallography data taken with the microfocus system are presented, and indicate that the divergence and spectral purity of the x-ray are sufficient to refine the diffraction data using a standard crystallographic software. Significant additional improvements in flux and beam divergence are possible, and plans for achieving these coals are discussed.
Hard X-ray irradiation of cosmic silicate analogs: structural evolution and astrophysical implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavilan, L.; Jäger, C.; Simionovici, A.; Lemaire, J. L.; Sabri, T.; Foy, E.; Yagoubi, S.; Henning, T.; Salomon, D.; Martinez-Criado, G.

2016-03-01

Context. Protoplanetary disks, interstellar clouds, and active galactic nuclei contain X-ray-dominated regions. X-rays interact with the dust and gas present in such environments. While a few laboratory X-ray irradiation experiments have been performed on ices, X-ray irradiation experiments on bare cosmic dust analogs have been scarce up to now. Aims: Our goal is to study the effects of hard X-rays on cosmic dust analogs via in situ X-ray diffraction. By using a hard X-ray synchrotron nanobeam, we seek to simulate cumulative X-ray exposure on dust grains during their lifetime in these astrophysical environments and provide an upper limit on the effect of hard X-rays on dust grain structure. Methods: We prepared enstatite (MgSiO3) nanograins, which are analogs to cosmic silicates, via the melting-quenching technique. These amorphous grains were then annealed to obtain polycrystalline grains. These were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) before irradiation. Powder samples were prepared in X-ray transparent substrates and were irradiated with hard X-rays nanobeams (29.4 keV) provided by beamline ID16B of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble). X-ray diffraction images were recorded in transmission mode, and the ensuing diffractograms were analyzed as a function of the total X-ray exposure time. Results: We detected the amorphization of polycrystalline silicates embedded in an organic matrix after an accumulated X-ray exposure of 6.4 × 1027 eV cm-2. Pure crystalline silicate grains (without resin) do not exhibit amorphization. None of the amorphous silicate samples (pure and embedded in resin) underwent crystallization. We analyze the evolution of the polycrystalline sample embedded in an organic matrix as a function of X-ray exposure. Conclusions: Loss of diffraction peak intensity, peak broadening, and the disappearance of discrete spots and arcs reveal the amorphization
Invited Review Article: The Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Daniel A.

2014-06-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is an orbiting x-ray telescope facility. It is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's four "Great Observatories" that collectively have carried out astronomical observations covering the infrared through gamma-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Chandra is used by astronomers world-wide to acquire imaging and spectroscopic data over a nominal 0.1-10 keV (124-1.24 Å) range. We describe the three major parts of the observatory: the telescope, the spacecraft systems, and the science instruments. This article will emphasize features of the design and development driven by some of the experimental considerations unique to x-ray astronomy. We will update the on-orbit performance and present examples of the scientific highlights.
Invited review article: The Chandra X-ray Observatory.

PubMed

Schwartz, Daniel A

2014-06-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is an orbiting x-ray telescope facility. It is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's four "Great Observatories" that collectively have carried out astronomical observations covering the infrared through gamma-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Chandra is used by astronomers world-wide to acquire imaging and spectroscopic data over a nominal 0.1-10 keV (124-1.24 Å) range. We describe the three major parts of the observatory: the telescope, the spacecraft systems, and the science instruments. This article will emphasize features of the design and development driven by some of the experimental considerations unique to x-ray astronomy. We will update the on-orbit performance and present examples of the scientific highlights.
Microfocus/Polycapillary-Optic Crystallographic X-Ray System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joy, Marshall; Gubarev, Mikhail; Ciszak, Ewa

2005-01-01

A system that generates an intense, nearly collimated, nearly monochromatic, small-diameter x-ray beam has been developed for use in macromolecular crystallography. A conventional x-ray system for macromolecular crystallography includes a rotating-anode x-ray source, which is massive (.500 kg), large (approximately 2 by 2 by 1 m), and power-hungry (between 2 and 18 kW). In contrast, the present system generates a beam of the required brightness from a microfocus source, which is small and light enough to be mounted on a laboratory bench, and operates at a power level of only tens of watts. The figure schematically depicts the system as configured for observing x-ray diffraction from a macromolecular crystal. In addition to the microfocus x-ray source, the system includes a polycapillary optic . a monolithic block (typically a bundle of fused glass tubes) that contains thousands of straight or gently curved capillary channels, along which x-rays propagate with multiple reflections. This particular polycapillary optic is configured to act as a collimator; the x-ray beam that emerges from its output face consists of quasi-parallel subbeams with a small angular divergence and a diameter comparable to the size of a crystal to be studied. The gap between the microfocus x-ray source and the input face of the polycapillary optic is chosen consistently with the focal length of the polycapillary optic and the need to maximize the solid angle subtended by the optic in order to maximize the collimated x-ray flux. The spectrum from the source contains a significant component of Cu K (photon energy is 8.08 keV) radiation. The beam is monochromatized (for Cu K ) by a nickel filter 10 m thick. In a test, this system was operated at a power of 40 W (current of 897 A at an accelerating potential of 45 kV), with an anode x-ray spot size of 41+/-2 microns. Also tested, in order to provide a standard for comparison, was a commercial rotating-anode x-ray crystallographic system with a
X-ray beam finder

DOEpatents

Gilbert, H.W.

1983-06-16

An X-ray beam finder for locating a focal spot of an X-ray tube includes a mass of X-ray opaque material having first and second axially-aligned, parallel-opposed faces connected by a plurality of substantially identical parallel holes perpendicular to the faces and a film holder for holding X-ray sensitive film tightly against one face while the other face is placed in contact with the window of an X-ray head.
X-ray and gamma ray astronomy detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decher, Rudolf; Ramsey, Brian D.; Austin, Robert

1994-01-01

X-ray and gamma ray astronomy was made possible by the advent of space flight. Discovery and early observations of celestial x-rays and gamma rays, dating back almost 40 years, were first done with high altitude rockets, followed by Earth-orbiting satellites> once it became possible to carry detectors above the Earth's atmosphere, a new view of the universe in the high-energy part of the electromagnetic spectrum evolved. Many of the detector concepts used for x-ray and gamma ray astronomy were derived from radiation measuring instruments used in atomic physics, nuclear physics, and other fields. However, these instruments, when used in x-ray and gamma ray astronomy, have to meet unique and demanding requirements related to their operation in space and the need to detect and measure extremely weak radiation fluxes from celestial x-ray and gamma ray sources. Their design for x-ray and gamma ray astronomy has, therefore, become a rather specialized and rapidly advancing field in which improved sensitivity, higher energy and spatial resolution, wider spectral coverage, and enhanced imaging capabilities are all sought. This text is intended as an introduction to x-ray and gamma ray astronomy instruments. It provides an overview of detector design and technology and is aimed at scientists, engineers, and technical personnel and managers associated with this field. The discussion is limited to basic principles and design concepts and provides examples of applications in past, present, and future space flight missions.
X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for extended X-ray sources

DOEpatents

Bitter, Manfred L.; Fraenkel, Ben; Gorman, James L.; Hill, Kenneth W.; Roquemore, A. Lane; Stodiek, Wolfgang; von Goeler, Schweickhard E.

2001-01-01

Spherically or toroidally curved, double focusing crystals are used in a spectrometer for X-ray diagnostics of an extended X-ray source such as a hot plasma produced in a tokomak fusion experiment to provide spatially and temporally resolved data on plasma parameters using the imaging properties for Bragg angles near 45. For a Bragg angle of 45.degree., the spherical crystal focuses a bundle of near parallel X-rays (the cross section of which is determined by the cross section of the crystal) from the plasma to a point on a detector, with parallel rays inclined to the main plain of diffraction focused to different points on the detector. Thus, it is possible to radially image the plasma X-ray emission in different wavelengths simultaneously with a single crystal.
Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer: A Science-Oriented, University 3U CubeSat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, James P.; Woods, Thomas N.; Caspi, Amir; Chamberlin, Phillip C.; Moore, Christopher; Jones, Andrew; Kohnert, Rick; Li, Xinlin; Palo, Scott; Solomon, Stanley C.

2016-01-01

The miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is a three-unit CubeSat developed at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Over 40 students contributed to the project with professional mentorship and technical contributions from professors in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at University of Colorado, Boulder and from Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics scientists and engineers. The scientific objective of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer is to study processes in the dynamic sun, from quiet sun to solar flares, and to further understand how these changes in the sun influence the Earth's atmosphere by providing unique spectral measurements of solar soft x-rays. The enabling technology providing the advanced solar soft x-ray spectral measurements is the Amptek X123, a commercial off-the-shelf silicon drift detector. The Amptek X123 has a low mass (approx. 324 g after modification), modest power consumption (approx. 2.50 W), and small volume (6.86 x 9.91 x 2.54 cm), making it ideal for a CubeSat. This paper provides an overview of the miniature x-ray solar spectrometer mission: the science objectives, project history, subsystems, and lessons learned, which can be useful for the small-satellite community.
Planetary X-ray studies: past, present and future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella

2016-07-01

Our solar system is a fascinating physics laboratory and X-ray observations are now firmly established as a powerful diagnostic tool of the multiple processes taking place in it. The science that X-rays reveal encompasses solar, space plasma and planetary physics, and the response of bodies in the solar system to the impact of the Sun's activity. This talk will review what we know from past observations and what we expect to learn in the short, medium and long term. Observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton have demonstrated that the origin of Jupiter's bright soft X-ray aurorae lies in the Charge eXchange (CX) process, likely to involve the interaction with atmospheric neutrals of local magnetospheric ions, as well as those carried in the solar wind. At higher energies electron bremsstrahlung is thought to be the X-ray emitting mechanism, while the whole planetary disk acts as a mirror for the solar X-ray flux via Thomson and fluorescent scattering. This 'X-ray mirror' phenomenon is all that is observed from Saturn's disk, which otherwise lacks X-ray auroral features. The Earth's X-ray aurora is bright and variable and mostly due to electron bremsstrahlung and line emission from atmospheric species. Un-magnetised planets, Venus and Mars, do not show X-ray aurorae but display the interesting combination of mirroring the solar X-ray flux and producing X-rays by Solar Wind Charge eXchange (SWCX) in their exospheres. These processes respond to different solar stimulation (photons and solar wind plasma respectively) hence their relative contributions are seen to vary according to the Sun's output. Present and future of planetary X-ray studies are very bright. We are preparing for the arrival of the Juno mission at Jupiter this summer and for coordinated observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton on the approach and later during Juno's orbital phase. These will allow direct correlation of the local plasma conditions with the X-ray emissions and the establishment of the
X-ray lithography source

DOEpatents

Piestrup, M.A.; Boyers, D.G.; Pincus, C.

1991-12-31

A high-intensity, inexpensive X-ray source for X-ray lithography for the production of integrated circuits is disclosed. Foil stacks are bombarded with a high-energy electron beam of 25 to 250 MeV to produce a flux of soft X-rays of 500 eV to 3 keV. Methods of increasing the total X-ray power and making the cross section of the X-ray beam uniform are described. Methods of obtaining the desired X-ray-beam field size, optimum frequency spectrum and eliminating the neutron flux are all described. A method of obtaining a plurality of station operation is also described which makes the process more efficient and economical. The satisfying of these issues makes transition radiation an excellent moderate-priced X-ray source for lithography. 26 figures.
X-ray lithography source

DOEpatents

Piestrup, Melvin A.; Boyers, David G.; Pincus, Cary

1991-01-01

A high-intensity, inexpensive X-ray source for X-ray lithography for the production of integrated circuits. Foil stacks are bombarded with a high-energy electron beam of 25 to 250 MeV to produce a flux of soft X-rays of 500 eV to 3 keV. Methods of increasing the total X-ray power and making the cross section of the X-ray beam uniform are described. Methods of obtaining the desired X-ray-beam field size, optimum frequency spectrum and elminating the neutron flux are all described. A method of obtaining a plurality of station operation is also described which makes the process more efficient and economical. The satisfying of these issues makes transition radiation an exellent moderate-priced X-ray source for lithography.
Bone cartilage imaging with x-ray interferometry using a practical x-ray tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kido, Kazuhiro; Makifuchi, Chiho; Kiyohara, Junko; Itou, Tsukasa; Honda, Chika; Momose, Atsushi

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study was to design an X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer for the imaging of bone cartilage using a practical X-ray tube and to develop that imaging system for clinical use. Wave-optics simulation was performed to design the interferometer with a practical X-ray tube, a source grating, two X-ray gratings, and an X-ray detector. An imaging system was created based on the results of the simulation. The specifications were as follows: the focal spot size was 0.3 mm of an X-ray tube with a tungsten anode (Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan). The tube voltage was set at 40 kVp with an additive aluminum filter, and the mean energy was 31 keV. The pixel size of the X-ray detector, a Condor 486 (Fairchild Imaging, California, USA), was 15 μm. The second grating was a Ronchi-type grating whose pitch was 5.3 μm. Imaging performance of the system was examined with X-ray doses of 0.5, 3 and 9 mGy so that the bone cartilage of a chicken wing was clearly depicted with X-ray doses of 3 and 9 mGy. This was consistent with the simulation's predictions. The results suggest that X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometry would be a promising tool in detecting soft tissues in the human body such as bone cartilage for the X-ray image diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Further optimization of the system will follow to reduce the X-ray dose for clinical use.
Bandpass x-ray diode and x-ray multiplier detector

DOEpatents

Wang, C.L.

1982-09-27

An absorption-edge of an x-ray absorption filter and a quantum jump of a photocathode determine the bandpass characteristics of an x-ray diode detector. An anode, which collects the photoelectrons emitted by the photocathode, has enhanced amplification provided by photoelectron-multiplying means which include dynodes or a microchannel-plate electron-multiplier. Suppression of undesired high frequency response for a bandpass x-ray diode is provided by subtracting a signal representative of energies above the passband from a signal representative of the overall response of the bandpass diode.
X-ray astronomical spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holt, Stephen S.

1987-01-01

The contributions of the Goddard group to the history of X-ray astronomy are numerous and varied. One role that the group has continued to play involves the pursuit of techniques for the measurement and interpretation of the X-ray spectra of cosmic sources. The latest development is the selection of the X-ray microcalorimeter for the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) study payload. This technology is likely to revolutionize the study of cosmic X-ray spectra.
Improving image quality in laboratory x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Marco, F.; Marschner, M.; Birnbacher, L.; Viermetz, M.; Noël, P.; Herzen, J.; Pfeiffer, F.

2017-03-01

Grating-based X-ray phase-contrast (gbPC) is known to provide significant benefits for biomedical imaging. To investigate these benefits, a high-sensitivity gbPC micro-CT setup for small (≍ 5 cm) biological samples has been constructed. Unfortunately, high differential-phase sensitivity leads to an increased magnitude of data processing artifacts, limiting the quality of tomographic reconstructions. Most importantly, processing of phase-stepping data with incorrect stepping positions can introduce artifacts resembling Moiré fringes to the projections. Additionally, the focal spot size of the X-ray source limits resolution of tomograms. Here we present a set of algorithms to minimize artifacts, increase resolution and improve visual impression of projections and tomograms from the examined setup. We assessed two algorithms for artifact reduction: Firstly, a correction algorithm exploiting correlations of the artifacts and differential-phase data was developed and tested. Artifacts were reliably removed without compromising image data. Secondly, we implemented a new algorithm for flatfield selection, which was shown to exclude flat-fields with strong artifacts. Both procedures successfully improved image quality of projections and tomograms. Deconvolution of all projections of a CT scan can minimize blurring introduced by the finite size of the X-ray source focal spot. Application of the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm to gbPC-CT projections resulted in an improved resolution of phase-contrast tomograms. Additionally, we found that nearest-neighbor interpolation of projections can improve the visual impression of very small features in phase-contrast tomograms. In conclusion, we achieved an increase in image resolution and quality for the investigated setup, which may lead to an improved detection of very small sample features, thereby maximizing the setup's utility.
A Novel X-ray Diffractometer for the Florida Split Coil 25 Tesla Magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shengyu; Kovalev, Alexey; Suslov, Alexey; Siegrist, Theo

2014-03-01

At National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), we are developing a unique X-ray diffractometer for the 25 Tesla Florida Split Coil Magnet for scattering experiments under extremely high static magnetic fields. The X-ray source is a sealed tube (copper or molybdenum anode), connected to the magnet by an evacuated beam tunnel. The detectors are either an image plate or a silicon drift detector, with the data acquisition system based on LabVIEW. Our preliminary experimental results showed that the performance of the detector electronics and the X-ray generator is reliable in the fringe magnetic fields produced at the highest field of 25 T. Using this diffractometer, we will make measurements on standard samples, such as LaB6, Al2O3 and Si, to calibrate the diffraction system. Magnetic samples, such as single crystal HoMnO3 and stainless steel 301 alloys will be measured subsequently. The addition of X-ray diffraction to the unique split coil magnet will significantly expand the NHMFL experimental capabilities. Therefore, external users will be able to probe spin - lattice interactions at static magnetic fields up to 25T. This project is supported by NSF-DMR Award No.1257649. NHMFL is supported by NSF Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-1157490, the State of Florida, and the U.S. DoE.
Resonant Polarization Spectroscopy for Hot X-ray Plasmas

DOE PAGES

Chen, Guo -Xin

2016-04-28

X-ray line polarization spectroscopy is a method of choice for probing hot plasma conditions. The precise roles of resonant structures in this method have not been realized and fully understood. With a sophisticated relativistic close coupling Dirac R-matrix calculation of polarized radiation of the quadrupole magnetic M2 line at 2.717 Å in Ba 46+, we revealed the nature of resonant structures in x-ray line polarization spectroscopy. We found that signatures with a heavy resonance forest imprinting on polarization may be used for a sensitive new spectroscopic method. The resonant polarization spectrum was used to determine or constrain the directional beammore » electron distribution of the laboratory Ba plasma. Lastly, our results provide a start of resonant polarization spectroscopy as a method for diagnostics of laboratory, fusion and astrophysical plasma source conditions.« less
X-Ray

MedlinePlus

... of gray. For some types of X-ray tests, a contrast medium — such as iodine or barium — is introduced into your body to provide greater detail on the images. Why it's done X-ray technology is used to examine many parts of the ...
X-ray luminescence computed tomography using a focused x-ray beam.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Lun, Michael C; Nguyen, Alex Anh-Tu; Li, Changqing

2017-11-01

Due to the low x-ray photon utilization efficiency and low measurement sensitivity of the electron multiplying charge coupled device camera setup, the collimator-based narrow beam x-ray luminescence computed tomography (XLCT) usually requires a long measurement time. We, for the first time, report a focused x-ray beam-based XLCT imaging system with measurements by a single optical fiber bundle and a photomultiplier tube (PMT). An x-ray tube with a polycapillary lens was used to generate a focused x-ray beam whose x-ray photon density is 1200 times larger than a collimated x-ray beam. An optical fiber bundle was employed to collect and deliver the emitted photons on the phantom surface to the PMT. The total measurement time was reduced to 12.5 min. For numerical simulations of both single and six fiber bundle cases, we were able to reconstruct six targets successfully. For the phantom experiment, two targets with an edge-to-edge distance of 0.4 mm and a center-to-center distance of 0.8 mm were successfully reconstructed by the measurement setup with a single fiber bundle and a PMT. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Preparation of relatively clean carbon backings used in charged particle induced x-ray studies for x-rays below 4 KeV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kocur, P.; Duggan, J.L.; McDaniel, F.D.

1983-04-01

In a recent series of studies of M-shell ionization induced by protons, alpha particles, and fluorine ions, an unmanageable background of low energy contaminant x rays was observed. These K-shell x rays were primarily from Ca, K, Cl, S, P, Si and Na. The energy range of these contaminants is from 3.691 to 1.041 keV. The M-shell x rays being studied were for various elements from U ( about 3.5 keV) down to Eu (1.5 keV). In order to evaluate and reduce the problem, the contaminants for carbon foils from a number of different manufacturers and a wide variety ofmore » foil float-off procedures have been studied. Carbon foils have been produced in our laboratory using carbon rods from several different manufacturers. In this paper, techniques will be described that are most appropriate to reduce the above contaminants to a reasonable level. These techniques should be useful in trace element analysis (PIXE) studies and fundamental ionization measurements for low x-ray energies.« less
X-ray mirror development and testing for the ATHENA mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Della Monica Ferreira, Desiree; Jakobsen, Anders C.; Massahi, Sonny; Christensen, Finn E.; Shortt, Brian; Garnæs, Jørgen; Torras-Rosell, Antoni; Krumrey, Michael; Cibik, Levent; Marggraf, Stefanie

2016-07-01

This study reports development and testing of coatings on silicon pore optics (SPO) substrates including pre and post coating characterisation of the x-ray mirrors using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray reflectometry (XRR) performed at the 8 keV X-ray facility at DTU Space and with synchrotron radiation in the laboratory of PTB at BESSY II. We report our findings on surface roughness and coating reflectivity of Ir/B4C coatings considering the grazing incidence angles and energies of ATHENA and long term stability of Ir/B4C, Pt/B4C, W/Si and W/B4C coatings.
X-ray Observations of Cosmic Ray Acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petre, Robert

2012-01-01

Since the discovery of cosmic rays, detection of their sources has remained elusive. A major breakthrough has come through the identification of synchrotron X-rays from the shocks of supernova remnants through imaging and spectroscopic observations by the most recent generation of X-ray observatories. This radiation is most likely produced by electrons accelerated to relativistic energy, and thus has offered the first, albeit indirect, observational evidence that diffusive shock acceleration in supernova remnants produces cosmic rays to TeV energies, possibly as high as the "knee" in the cosmic ray spectrum. X-ray observations have provided information about the maximum energy to which these shOCks accelerate electrons, as well as indirect evidence of proton acceleration. Shock morphologies measured in X-rays have indicated that a substantial fraction of the shock energy can be diverted into particle acceleration. This presentation will summarize what we have learned about cosmic ray acceleration from X-ray observations of supernova remnants over the past two decades.
The Focusing Optics Solar X-ray Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, Steven; Glesener, L.; Krucker, S.; Ramsey, B.; Ishikawa, S.; Takahashi, T.; Tajima, H.

2010-05-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1 keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The FOXSI project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.
The Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krucker, Sam; Christe, Steven; Glesener, Lindsay; McBride, Steve; Turin, Paul; Glaser, David; Saint-Hilaire, Pascal; Delory, Gregory; Lin, R. P.; Gubarev, Mikhail; Ramsey, Brian; Terada, Yukikatsu; Ishikawa, Shin-Nosuke; Kokubun, Motohide; Saito, Shinya; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Watanabe, Shin; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Masuda, Satoshi; Minoshima, Takashi; Shomojo, Masumi

2009-08-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1 keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The FOXSI project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.
The Focusing Optics Solar X-ray Imager (FOXSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, S.; Glesener, L.; Krucker, S.; Ramsey, B.; Ishikawa, S.; Takahashi, T.

2009-12-01

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar hard x-ray instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1~keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of indirect imaging, the derived images have a low dynamic range (<30) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the solar flare acceleration process. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding particle acceleration in solar flares. The foxsi project is led by the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, with experience from the HERO balloon project, is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro H team (JAXA/ISAS) will provide double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI will be a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.
Portable X-Ray, K-Edge Heavy Metal Detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fricke, V.

The X-Ray, K-Edge Heavy Metal Detection System was designed and built by Ames Laboratory and the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation at Iowa State University. The system uses a C-frame inspection head with an X-ray tube mounted on one side of the frame and an imaging unit and a high purity germanium detector on the other side. the inspection head is portable and can be easily positioned around ventilation ducts and pipes up to 36 inches in diameter. Wide angle and narrow beam X-ray shots are used to identify the type of holdup material and the amount of the contaminant. Precisemore » assay data can be obtained within minutes of the interrogation. A profile of the containerized holdup material and a permanent record of the measurement are immediately available.« less
X-ray simulation algorithms used in ISP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, John P.

ISP is a simulation code which is sometimes used in the USNDS program. ISP is maintained by Sandia National Lab. However, the X-ray simulation algorithm used by ISP was written by scientists at LANL – mainly by Ed Fenimore with some contributions from John Sullivan and George Neuschaefer and probably others. In email to John Sullivan on July 25, 2016, Jill Rivera, ISP project lead, said “ISP uses the function xdosemeters_sim from the xgen library.” The is a fortran subroutine which is also used to simulate the X-ray response in consim (a descendant of xgen). Therefore, no separate documentation ofmore » the X-ray simulation algorithms in ISP have been written – the documentation for the consim simulation can be used.« less
Computer simulation of the CSPAD, ePix10k, and RayonixMX170HS X-ray detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tina, Adrienne

2015-08-21

The invention of free-electron lasers (FELs) has opened a door to an entirely new level of scientific research. The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is an X-ray FEL that houses several instruments, each with its own unique X-ray applications. This light source is revolutionary in that while its properties allow for a whole new range of scientific opportunities, it also poses numerous challenges. For example, the intensity of a focused X-ray beam is enough to damage a sample in one mere pulse; however, the pulse speed and extreme brightness of the source together are enoughmore » to obtain enough information about that sample, so that no further measurements are necessary. An important device in the radiation detection process, particularly for X-ray imaging, is the detector. The power of the LCLS X-rays has instigated a need for better performing detectors. The research conducted for this project consisted of the study of X-ray detectors to imitate their behaviors in a computer program. The analysis of the Rayonix MX170-HS, CSPAD, and ePix10k in particular helped to understand their properties. This program simulated the interaction of X-ray photons with these detectors to discern the patterns of their responses. A scientist’s selection process of a detector for a specific experiment is simplified from the characterization of the detectors in the program.« less
Spectroscopic observations of X-ray selected late type stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takalo, L. O.

1988-01-01

A spectroscopic survey of nine X-ray selected late type stars was conducted. These stars are serendipitously discovered EINSTEIN X-ray sources, selected from two large x-ray surveys: the Columbia Astrophysical Laboratory survey (five stars) and the CFA Medium Sensitivity survey (four stars). Four of the Columbia survey stars were found to be short period binaries. The fifth was found to be an active single G dwarf. None of the Medium Sensitivity survey stars were found to be either binaries or active stars. Activity was measured by comparing the H-alpha and the CaII infrared triplet (8498, 8542) lines in these stars to the lines in inactive stars of similar spectral type. A correlation was found between the excess H-alpha lime emission and V sin(i) and between the excess H-alpha line emission and X-ray luminosity. No correlation was found between the infrared line emission and any other measured quantity.
X ray reflection masks: Manufacturing, characterization and first tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahn, Stephen

1992-09-01

SXPL (Soft X-ray Projection Lithography) multilayer mirrors are characterized, laterally structured and then used as reflection masks in a projecting lithography procedure. Mo/Si-multilayer mirrors with a 2d in the region of 14 nm were characterized by Cu-k(alpha) grazing incidence as well as soft X-ray normal incidence reflectivity measurements. The multilayer mirrors were patterned by reactive ion etching with CF4 using a photoresist as etch mask, thus producing X-ray reflection masks. The masks were tested at the synchrotron radiation laboratory of the electron accelerator ELSA. A double crystal X-ray monochromator was modified so as to allow about 0.5 sq cm of the reflection mask to be illuminated by white synchrotron radiation. The reflected patterns were projected (with an energy of 100 eV) onto a resist and structure sizes down to 8 micrometers were nicely reproduced. Smaller structures were distorted by Fresnel-diffraction. The theoretically calculated diffraction images agree very well with the observed images.
Measuring the x-ray resolving power of bent potassium acid phthalate diffraction crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haugh, M. J., E-mail: haughmj@nv.doe.gov; Jacoby, K. D.; Wu, M.

2014-11-15

This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals thatmore » we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a double crystal diffractometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.« less
Measuring the X-ray Resolving Power of Bent Potassium Acid Phthalate Diffraction Crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haugh, M. J.; Wu, M.; Jacoby, K. D.

2014-11-01

This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals thatmore » we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, NM. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a dual goniometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.« less
Measuring the x-ray resolving power of bent potassium acid phthalate diffraction crystalsa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haugh, M. J.; Wu, M.; Jacoby, K. D.; Loisel, G. P.

2014-11-01

This report presents the results from measuring the X-ray resolving power of a curved potassium acid phthalate (KAP(001)) spectrometer crystal using two independent methods. It is part of a continuing effort to measure the fundamental diffraction properties of bent crystals that are used to study various characteristics of high temperature plasmas. Bent crystals like KAP(001) do not usually have the same diffraction properties as corresponding flat crystals. Models that do exist to calculate the effect of bending the crystal on the diffraction properties have simplifying assumptions and their accuracy limits have not been adequately determined. The type of crystals that we measured is being used in a spectrometer on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first technique for measuring the crystal resolving power measures the X-ray spectral line width of the characteristic lines from several metal anodes. The second method uses a diode X-ray source and a double crystal diffractometer arrangement to measure the reflectivity curve of the KAP(001) crystal. The width of that curve is inversely proportional to the crystal resolving power. The measurement results are analyzed and discussed.
Method for spatially modulating X-ray pulses using MEMS-based X-ray optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopez, Daniel; Shenoy, Gopal; Wang, Jin

A method and apparatus are provided for spatially modulating X-rays or X-ray pulses using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based X-ray optics. A torsionally-oscillating MEMS micromirror and a method of leveraging the grazing-angle reflection property are provided to modulate X-ray pulses with a high-degree of controllability.
X-ray monitoring optical elements

DOEpatents

Stoupin, Stanislav; Shvydko, Yury; Katsoudas, John; Blank, Vladimir D.; Terentyev, Sergey A.

2016-12-27

An X-ray article and method for analyzing hard X-rays which have interacted with a test system. The X-ray article is operative to diffract or otherwise process X-rays from an input X-ray beam which have interacted with the test system and at the same time provide an electrical circuit adapted to collect photoelectrons emitted from an X-ray optical element of the X-ray article to analyze features of the test system.
Laboratory experiments on soft x-ray emissions from the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanda, T.; Ohashi, H.; Maeno, S.; Ishida, T.; Tanuma, H.; Akamatsu, H.; Abe, Y.; Yokota, W.; Henmi, K.; Ishisaki, Y.; Ezoe, Y.; Ohashi, T.; Shinozaki, K.; Mitsuda, K.

2011-06-01

We have observed emission spectra in collisions of hydrogen-like oxygen and nitrogen ions with a helium target gas in the soft x-ray region using a window-less Si(Li) detector at collision energies of about 100 keV. The dominant soft x-ray emission is the 1s2-1s2p transition of helium-like ions produced by a single-electron capture reaction. We indicate that the cascades from the upper states give a large population of the 2p state, even though direct capture into the 2p state is much smaller than the 3ell and 4ell states. The intensity ratios of the 1s-2p and 1s-3p transitions are discussed, along with a comparison with the theoretical calculation.
Optical and X-ray studies of Compact X-ray Binaries in NGC 5904

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhalotia, Vanshree; Beck-Winchatz, Bernhard

2018-06-01

Due to their high stellar densities, globular cluster systems trigger various dynamical interactions, such as the formation of compact X-ray binaries. Stellar collisional frequencies have been correlated to the number of X-ray sources detected in various clusters and we hope to measure this correlation for NGC 5904. Optical fluxes of sources from archival HST images of NGC 5904 have been measured using a DOLPHOT PSF photometry in the UV, optical and near-infrared. We developed a data analysis pipeline to process the fluxes of tens of thousands of objects using awk, python and DOLPHOT. We plot color magnitude diagrams in different photometric bands in order to identify outliers that could be X-ray binaries, since they do not evolve the same way as singular stars. Aligning previously measured astrometric data for X-ray sources in NGC 5904 from Chandra with archival astrometric data from HST will filter out the outlier objects that are not X-ray producing, and provide a sample of compact binary systems that are responsible for X-ray emission in NGC 5904. Furthermore, previously measured X-ray fluxes of NGC 5904 from Chandra have also been used to measure the X-ray to optical flux ratio and identify the types of compact X-ray binaries responsible for the X-ray emissions in NGC 5904. We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Illinois Space Grant Consortium.
Detection of nanoscale embedded layers using laboratory specular X-ray diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beekman, Matt, E-mail: matt.beekman@oit.edu; Rodriguez, Gabriel; Atkins, Ryan

Unusual specular X-ray diffraction patterns have been observed from certain thin film intergrowths of metal monochalcogenide (MX) and transition metal dichalcogenide (TX{sub 2}) structures. These patterns exhibit selective “splitting” or broadening of selected (00l) diffraction peaks, while other (00l) reflections remain relatively unaffected [Atkins et al., Chem. Mater. 24, 4594 (2012)]. Using a simplified optical model in the kinematic approximation, we illustrate that these peculiar and somewhat counterintuitive diffraction features can be understood in terms of additional layers of one of the intergrowth components, MX or TX{sub 2}, interleaved between otherwise “ideal” regions of MX-TX{sub 2} intergrowth. The interpretation ismore » in agreement with scanning transmission electron microscope imaging, which reveals the presence of such stacking “defects” in films prepared from non-ideal precursors. In principle, the effect can be employed as a simple, non-destructive laboratory probe to detect and characterize ultrathin layers of one material, e.g., 2-dimensional crystals, embedded between two slabs of a second material, effectively using the two slabs as a highly sensitive interferometer of their separation distance.« less
Ultrafast Kα x-ray Thomson scattering from shock compressed lithium hydride

DOE PAGES

Kritcher, A. L.; Neumayer, P.; Castor, J.; ...

2009-04-13

Spectrally and temporally resolved x-ray Thomson scattering using ultrafast Ti Kα x rays has provided experimental validation for modeling of the compression and heating of shocked matter. The coalescence of two shocks launched into a solid density LiH target by a shaped 6 ns heater beam was observed from rapid heating to temperatures of 2.2 eV, enabling tests of shock timing models. Here, the temperature evolution of the target at various times during shock progression was characterized from the intensity of the elastic scattering component. The observation of scattering from plasmons, electron plasma oscillations, at shock coalescence indicates a transitionmore » to a dense metallic plasma state in LiH. From the frequency shift of the measured plasmon feature the electron density was directly determined with high accuracy, providing a material compression of a factor of 3 times solid density. The quality of data achieved in these experiments demonstrates the capability for single shot dynamic characterization of dense shock compressed matter. Here, the conditions probed in this experiment are relevant for the study of the physics of planetary formation and to characterize inertial confinement fusion targets for experiments such as on the National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.« less

Elemental concentration analysis in prostate tissues using total reflection X-ray fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitão, R. G.; Palumbo, A.; Souza, P. A. V. R.; Pereira, G. R.; Canellas, C. G. L.; Anjos, M. J.; Nasciutti, L. E.; Lopes, R. T.

2014-02-01

Prostate cancer (PCa) currently represents the second most prevalent malignant neoplasia in men, representing 21% of all cancer cases. Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is an illness prevailing in men above the age of 50, close to 90% after the age of 80. The prostate presents a high zinc concentration, about 10-fold higher than any other body tissue. In this work, samples of human prostate tissues with cancer, BPH and normal tissue were analyzed utilizing total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation technique (SR-TXRF) to investigate the differences in the elemental concentrations in these tissues. SR-TXRF analyses were performed at the X-ray fluorescence beamline at Brazilian National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), in Campinas, São Paulo. It was possible to determine the concentrations of the following elements: P, S, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn and Rb. By using Mann-Whitney U test it was observed that almost all elements presented concentrations with significant differences (α=0.05) between the groups studied.
Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

DOE PAGES

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; ...

2016-09-28

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2-1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2-1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conicalmore » crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Furthermore, details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.« less
Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

PubMed

Hill, K W; Bitter, M; Delgado-Aparicio, L; Efthimion, P C; Ellis, R; Gao, L; Maddox, J; Pablant, N A; Schneider, M B; Chen, H; Ayers, S; Kauffman, R L; MacPhee, A G; Beiersdorfer, P; Bettencourt, R; Ma, T; Nora, R C; Scott, H A; Thorn, D B; Kilkenny, J D; Nelson, D; Shoup, M; Maron, Y

2016-11-01

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2 -1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2 -1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conical crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.
The Cambridge-Cambridge X-ray Serendipity Survey: I X-ray luminous galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, B. J.; Mcmahon, R. G.; Wilkes, B. J.; Elvis, M.

1994-01-01

We report on the first results obtained from a new optical identification program of 123 faint X-ray sources with S(0.5-2 keV) greater than 2 x 10(exp -14) erg/s/sq cm serendipitously detected in ROSAT PSPC pointed observations. We have spectroscopically identified the optical counterparts to more than 100 sources in this survey. Although the majority of the sample (68 objects) are QSO's, we have also identified 12 narrow emission line galaxies which have extreme X-ray luminosities (10(exp 42) less than L(sub X) less than 10(exp 43.5) erg/s). Subsequent spectroscopy reveals them to be a mixture of star-burst galaxies and Seyfert 2 galaxies in approximately equal numbers. Combined with potentially similar objects identified in the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey, these X-ray luminous galaxies exhibit a rate of cosmological evolution, L(sub X) varies as (1 + z)(exp 2.5 +/- 1.0), consistent with that derived for X-ray QSO's. This evolution, coupled with the steep slope determined for the faint end of the X-ray luminosity function (Phi(L(sub X)) varies as L(sub X)(exp -1.9)), implies that such objects could comprise 15-35% of the soft (1-2 keV) X-ray background.
Aplanatic Three-Mirror Objective for High-Magnification Soft X-Ray Microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toyoda, M.; Jinno, T.; Yanagihara, M.

2011-09-09

An innovative solution for high-magnification microscopy, based on attaching afocal optics for focal length reduction, is proposed. The solution, consisting of three spherical mirrors, allows one to enhance a magnification of a laboratory based soft x-ray microscope over 1000x, where movies with diffraction-limited resolution can be observed with an x-ray CCD. The design example, having a numerical aperture of 0.25, was successfully demonstrated both a high magnification and a large field of view.
Compact X-ray sources: X-rays from self-reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangles, Stuart P. D.

2012-05-01

Laser-based particle acceleration offers a way to reduce the size of hard-X-ray sources. Scientists have now developed a simple scheme that produces a bright flash of hard X-rays by using a single laser pulse both to generate and to scatter an electron beam.
X-Ray modeling of η Carinae & WR 140 from SPH simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, Christopher M. P.; Corcoran, Michael F.; Okazaki, Atsuo T.; Madura, Thomas I.; Owocki, Stanley P.

2011-07-01

The colliding wind binary (CWB) systems η Carinae and WR140 provide unique laboratories for X-ray astrophysics. Their wind-wind collisions produce hard X-rays that have been monitored extensively by several X-ray telescopes, including RXTE. To interpret these RXTE X-ray light curves, we apply 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the wind-wind collision using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). We find adiabatic simulations that account for the absorption of X-rays from an assumed point source of X-ray emission at the apex of the wind-collision shock cone can closely match the RXTE light curves of both η Car and WR140. This point-source model can also explain the early recovery of η Car's X-ray light curve from the 2009.0 minimum by a factor of 2-4 reduction in the mass loss rate of η Car. Our more recent models account for the extended emission and absorption along the full wind-wind interaction shock front. For WR140, the computed X-ray light curves again match the RXTE observations quite well. But for η Car, a hot, post-periastron bubble leads to an emission level that does not match the extended X-ray minimum observed by RXTE. Initial results from incorporating radiative cooling and radiative forces via an anti-gravity approach into the SPH code are also discussed.
Atomic Data Needs for X-ray Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bautista, Manuel A. (Editor); Kallman, Timothy R. (Editor); Pradhan, Anil K. (Editor)

2000-01-01

This publication contains written versions of most of the invited talks presented at the workshop on "Atomic Data Needs for X-ray Astronomy," which was held at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on December 16-17, 1999. The workshop was divided into five major areas: Observational Spectroscopy, Theoretical Calculations of Atomic Data, Laboratory Measurements of Atomic Parameters, Spectra Modeling, and Atomic Databases. These proceedings are expected to be of interest to producers and users of atomic data. Moreover, the contributions presented here have been written in a way that can be used by a general audience of scientists and graduate students in X-ray astronomy, modelling, and in computational and experimental atomic physics.
The Experimental Study of Characterized Noble Gas Puffs Irradiated by Ultra-Short Laser Pulses Compared with X-Pinches as an X-Ray Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Kimberly Ann

The goal of this dissertation is to study the basic physics and X-ray emission (1-10 keV) of two X-ray sources: X-pinch plasmas and a clustered gas-puff irradiated by an ultrashort laser pulse. X-pinches and other typical X-ray sources using solid targets create hot debris that can damage sensitive equipment. Therefore, to perform sensitive backlighting or X-ray effects testing, debris-free sources of radiation must be investigated. In this work, the author presents a broad study of clustered noble gas puffs including characterization measurements and laser heating experiments using several gas nozzles and multiple gases. Ultimately, the goal is to compare the laser-irradiated gas-puff and X-pinch plasmas as X-ray sources. Characterization of the gas puffs is performed at the Radiation Physics Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Physics Department using optical interferometry and Rayleigh scattering to determine density and cluster radius. By changing the gas-puff variables control of both the density and cluster size of the gas jets is obtained. Two laser systems provide the high intensities desired for the laser-irradiated gas puff experiments: the UNR Leopard Laser (1-2x1019 W/cm2) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Titan Laser (7x1019 W/cm2). X-ray emission is studied as a function of laser pulse parameters, gas target type, gas puff density, and the gas-delay timing between puff initiation and laser interaction with the puff. The tested gases are Ar, Kr, Xe, and four mixtures of the noble gases. Time-resolved X-ray measurements are captured with Silicon diodes and photoconducting diamond detectors. Electron beam detectors include Faraday cups and a high-energy (> 1 MeV) electron spectrometer. Modeling of spectra from X-ray crystal spectrometers provides plasma density and temperature measurement and a molecular dynamics (MD) code describes cluster interactions with the laser pulse. The conversion of laser energy into X rays is also
X-ray absorption Studies of Zinc species in Centella asiatica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehipawala, Sunil; Cheung, Tak; Hogan, Clayton; Agoudavi, Yao; Dehipawala, Sumudu

2013-03-01

Zinc is a very important mineral present in a variety of vegetables. It is an essential element in cellular metabolism and several bodily functions. We used X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray Absorption near Edge structure(XANES) to study the amount of zinc present in several leafy vegetables as well as its chemical environment within the plant. Main absorption edge position of XANES is sensitive to the oxidation state of zinc and is useful when comparing the type of zinc present in different vegetables to the standard zinc present in supplements. Normalized main edge height is proportional to the amount of zinc present in the sample. Several leafy greens were used in this study, such as Spinacia oleracea, Basella alba, Brassica oleracea, Cardiospermum halicacabumand Centella asiatica. All of these plant leaves contained approximately the same amount of zinc in the leaf portion of the plant and a slightly lower amount in the stems, except Centella asiatica. Both leaves and stems of the plant Centella asiatica contained nearly two times the zinc compared to other plants. Further investigation of zinc's chemical environment within Centella asiatica could lead to a much more efficient dietary consumption of zinc. Use of the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886
On the viability of exploiting L-shell fluorescence for X-ray polarimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, M. C.; Sutherland, P. G.; Elsner, R. F.; Ramsey, B. D.

1985-01-01

It has been suggested that one may build an X-ray polarimeter by exploiting the polarization dependence of the angular distribution of L-shell fluorescence photons. In this paper the sensitivity of this approach to polarimetry is examined theoretically. The calculations are applied to several detection schemes using imaging proportional counters that would have direct application in X-ray astronomy. It is found, however, that the sensitivity of this method for measuring X-ray polarization is too low to be of use for other than laboratory applications.
Imaging of cochlear tissue with a grating interferometer and hard X-rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richter, Claus-Peter; Shintani-Smith, Stephanie; Fishman, Andrew

This article addresses an important current development in medical and biological imaging: the possibility of imaging soft tissue at resolutions in the micron range using hard X-rays. Challenging environments, including the cochlea, require the imaging of soft tissue structure surrounded by bone. We demonstrate that cochlear soft tissue structures can be imaged with hard X-ray phase contrast. Furthermore, we show that only a thin slice of the tissue is required to introduce a large phase shift. It is likely that the phase contrast image of the soft tissue structures is sufficient to image the structures even if surrounded by bone.more » For the present set of experiments, structures with low-absorption contrast have been visualized using in-line phase contrast imaging and a grating interferometer. The experiments have been performed at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratories, a third generation source of synchrotron radiation. The source provides highly coherent X-ray radiation with high-photon flux (>10{sup 12} photons/s) at high-photon energies (5-70 keV). Radiographic and light microscopy images of the gerbil cochlear slice samples were compared. It has been determined that a 20-{micro}m thick tissue slice induces a phase shift between 1/3{pi} and 2/3{pi}.« less
New Snapshots of Photosynthesis Captured by SLACâs X-ray Laser

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-13

The machinery responsible for photosynthesis â while commonplace and essential to life on Earth â is still not fully understood. One of its molecular mysteries involves how a protein complex, photosystem II, harvests energy from light and uses it to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process generates the oxygen in the air that we breathe. New X-ray methods at the Department of Energyâs SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have captured the first detailed image of this protein complex at room temperature, which allows scientists to closely watch how water is split during photosynthesis at the temperature at which it occurs naturally. The research team took the images using the bright, fast pulses of light at SLACâs X-ray free-electron laser â the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a DOE Office of Science User Facility.
Analyzing x-ray hotspot images with Ince-Gaussian modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruse, Michael; Field, John; Nora, Ryan; Benedetti, Robin; Khan, Shahab; Ma, Tammy; Peterson, Luc; Spears, Brian

2017-10-01

X-ray images at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) provide important metrics regarding the shape of the hotspot along a given line-of-sight. The 17% contour from peak brightness is usually used to infer the size of the hotspot as well as determine shape perturbations quantified through the Legendre coefficients P2 and P4. Unfortunately features that lie inside the contour such as those that could arise from tent or fill-tube perturbations are not easily captured. An analysis that takes into account the two-dimensional nature of the x-ray image is desirable. Ince-Gaussian modes (for short: Ince) offer such an analysis and could provide a new way to encode and understand the images recorded at NIF. The Ince modes are the solutions to the paraxial wave equation expressed in elliptical coordinates and thus form an orthonormal basis. Due to their elliptical nature they are suitable for decomposing images that have a non-zero P2 or P4 coefficient. We show that the Ince modes can be used to uncover structure that is missed by the contour analysis and how the modes aid in compressing images produced in large ensemble calculations. Finally a comparison is made to the Zernike modes which form an orthonormal basis on a circular disk. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-734741.
X-ray crystallography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

X-rays diffracted from a well-ordered protein crystal create sharp patterns of scattered light on film. A computer can use these patterns to generate a model of a protein molecule. To analyze the selected crystal, an X-ray crystallographer shines X-rays through the crystal. Unlike a single dental X-ray, which produces a shadow image of a tooth, these X-rays have to be taken many times from different angles to produce a pattern from the scattered light, a map of the intensity of the X-rays after they diffract through the crystal. The X-rays bounce off the electron clouds that form the outer structure of each atom. A flawed crystal will yield a blurry pattern; a well-ordered protein crystal yields a series of sharp diffraction patterns. From these patterns, researchers build an electron density map. With powerful computers and a lot of calculations, scientists can use the electron density patterns to determine the structure of the protein and make a computer-generated model of the structure. The models let researchers improve their understanding of how the protein functions. They also allow scientists to look for receptor sites and active areas that control a protein's function and role in the progress of diseases. From there, pharmaceutical researchers can design molecules that fit the active site, much like a key and lock, so that the protein is locked without affecting the rest of the body. This is called structure-based drug design.
Flat field anomalies in an x-ray charge coupled device camera measured using a Manson x-ray source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haugh, M. J.; Schneider, M. B.

2008-10-15

The static x-ray imager (SXI) is a diagnostic used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to measure the position of the x rays produced by lasers hitting a gold foil target. The intensity distribution taken by the SXI camera during a NIF shot is used to determine how accurately NIF can aim laser beams. This is critical to proper NIF operation. Imagers are located at the top and the bottom of the NIF target chamber. The charge coupled device (CCD) chip is an x-ray sensitive silicon sensor, with a large format array (2kx2k), 24 {mu}m square pixels, and 15 {mu}mmore » thick. A multianode Manson x-ray source, operating up to 10 kV and 10 W, was used to characterize and calibrate the imagers. The output beam is heavily filtered to narrow the spectral beam width, giving a typical resolution E/{delta}E{approx_equal}10. The x-ray beam intensity was measured using an x-ray photodiode that has an accuracy better than 1% up to the Si K edge and better than 5% at higher energies. The x-ray beam provides full CCD illumination and is flat, within {+-}1% maximum to minimum. The spectral efficiency was measured at ten energy bands ranging from 930 to 8470 eV. We observed an energy dependent pixel sensitivity variation that showed continuous change over a large portion of the CCD. The maximum sensitivity variation occurred at 8470 eV. The geometric pattern did not change at lower energies, but the maximum contrast decreased and was not observable below 4 keV. We were also able to observe debris, damage, and surface defects on the CCD chip. The Manson source is a powerful tool for characterizing the imaging errors of an x-ray CCD imager. These errors are quite different from those found in a visible CCD imager.« less
Active Galactic Nuclei and X-ray Ovservations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasylenko, A. A.; Zhdanov, V. I.; Fedorova, E. V.

2016-11-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the brightest objects in the Universe and their brightness is mainly caused by accretion of m atter onto supermassive black holes (SMBH). This is the common reason of the AGN activity. However, every AGN has differences and fine features, which are the subject of an intensive investigation. The occurrence of such highly-relativistic objects as SMBH residing at the AGN core makes them an excellent laboratory for testing the fundamental physical theories. The X-rays and gamma-rays generated in a corona of an accretion disc around SMBH yield valuable information for these tests, the radiation in the range of 1-100 keV being at present the most informative source. However, there are a number of obstacles for such a study due to different physical processes that complicate the interpretation of observations in different bands of the electromagnetic radiation. In this paper, we review the current concepts concerning the structure of AGNs with a focus on the central part of these objects th at require relativistic theories for their understanding. The basic notions of the unified AGN schemes are considered; some modifications are reviewed. The paper contains the following sections. I. Introduction; II. Observational manifestations and classification of galaxies with active nuclei (II.A. Optical observations; II.B. Radio observations; II.C. X-ray data; II.D Infrared data; II.E. AGN anatomy with multywave data); III. AGN "central machine"; III.A. Black holes; III.B. Accretion disc types; III.C. Corona; III.D. AGN unified scheme); IV. Simulation X-ray AGN spectra (IV.A. The power-law contimuum and the exponential cut-off; IV.B. The absorption of X-rays; IV.C. Reflection; IV.D. Fe K a line; IV.E. Spin paradigm); V. AGN as a laboratory to test the fundamental interactions (V.A. Strong gravitational fields; V.B. Dynamic dark energy near compact astrophysical objects
The Astromaterials X-Ray Computed Tomography Laboratory at Johnson Space Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeigler, R. A.; Blumenfeld, E. H.; Srinivasan, P.; McCubbin, F. M.; Evans, C. A.

2018-04-01

The Astromaterials Curation Office has recently begun incorporating X-ray CT data into the curation processes for lunar and meteorite samples, and long-term curation of that data and serving it to the public represent significant technical challenges.
The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility. Observing the Universe in X-Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, V.

1984-01-01

An overview of the Advanced X ray Astronophysics Facility (AXAF) program is presented. Beginning with a brief introduction to X ray astrophysics, the AXAF observatory is described including the onboard instrumentation and system capabilities. Possible X ray sources suitable for AXAF observation are identified and defined.
The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (MapX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarrazin, P.; Blake, D. F.; Marchis, F.; Bristow, T.; Thompson, K.

2017-12-01

Many planetary surface processes leave traces of their actions as features in the size range 10s to 100s of microns. The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (MapX) will provide elemental imaging at 100 micron spatial resolution, yielding elemental chemistry at a scale where many relict physical, chemical, or biological features can be imaged and interpreted in ancient rocks on planetary bodies and planetesimals. MapX is an arm-based instrument positioned on a rock or regolith with touch sensors. During an analysis, an X-ray source (tube or radioisotope) bombards the sample with X-rays or alpha-particles / gamma-rays, resulting in sample X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). X-rays emitted in the direction of an X-ray sensitive CCD imager pass through a 1:1 focusing lens (X-ray micro-pore Optic (MPO)) that projects a spatially resolved image of the X-rays onto the CCD. The CCD is operated in single photon counting mode so that the energies and positions of individual X-ray photons are recorded. In a single analysis, several thousand frames are both stored and processed in real-time. Higher level data products include single-element maps with a lateral spatial resolution of 100 microns and quantitative XRF spectra from ground- or instrument- selected Regions of Interest (ROI). XRF spectra from ROI are compared with known rock and mineral compositions to extrapolate the data to rock types and putative mineralogies. When applied to airless bodies and implemented with an appropriate radioisotope source for alpha-particle excitation, MapX will be able to analyze biogenic elements C, N, O, P, S, in addition to the cations of the rock-forming elements >Na, accessible with either X-ray or gamma-ray excitation. The MapX concept has been demonstrated with a series of lab-based prototypes and is currently under refinement and TRL maturation.

Cosmic x ray physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccammon, Dan; Cox, D. P.; Kraushaar, W. L.; Sanders, W. T.

1990-01-01

The annual progress report on Cosmic X Ray Physics is presented. Topics studied include: the soft x ray background, proportional counter and filter calibrations, the new sounding rocket payload: X Ray Calorimeter, and theoretical studies.
Focusing X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen; Brissenden, Roger; Davis, William; Elsner, Ronald; Elvis, Martin; Freeman, Mark; Gaetz, Terrance; Gorenstein, Paul; Gubarev, Mikhall; Jerlus, Diab;

2010-01-01

During the half-century history of x-ray astronomy, focusing x-ray telescopes, through increased effective area and finer angular resolution, have improved sensitivity by 8 orders of magnitude. Here, we review previous and current x-ray-telescope missions. Next, we describe the planned next-generation x-ray-astronomy facility, the International X-ray Observatory (IXO). We conclude with an overview of a concept for the next next-generation facility, Generation X. Its scientific objectives will require very large areas (about 10,000 sq m) of highly-nested, lightweight grazing-incidence mirrors, with exceptional (about 0.1-arcsec) resolution. Achieving this angular resolution with lightweight mirrors will likely require on-orbit adjustment of alignment and figure.

Debris-free soft x-ray source with gas-puff target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Qiliang; Chen, Bo; Gong, Yan; Cao, Jianlin; Lin, Jingquan; Lee, Hongyan

2001-12-01

We have been developing a debris-free laser plasma light source with a gas-puff target system whose nozzle is driven by a piezoelectric crystal membrane. The gas-puff target system can utilize gases such as CO2, O2 or some gas mixture according to different experiments. Therefore, in comparison with soft X-ray source using a metal target, after continuously several-hour laser interaction with gas from the gas-puff target system, no evidences show that the light source can produce debris. The debris-free soft X-ray source is prepared for soft X-ray projection lithography research at State Key Laboratory of Applied Optics. Strong emission from CO2, O2 and Kr plasma is observed.
Katherine E. Weimer Award: X-ray light sources from laser-plasma and laser-electron interaction: development and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Felicie

2017-10-01

Bright sources of x-rays, such as synchrotrons and x-ray free electron lasers (XFEL) are transformational tools for many fields of science. They are used for biology, material science, medicine, or industry. Such sources rely on conventional particle accelerators, where electrons are accelerated to gigaelectronvolts (GeV) energies. The accelerated particles are wiggled in magnetic structures to emit x-ray radiation that is commonly used for molecular crystallography, fluorescence studies, chemical analysis, medical imaging, and many other applications. One of the drawbacks of these machines is their size and cost, because electric field gradients are limited to about 100 V/M in conventional accelerators. Particle acceleration in laser-driven plasmas is an alternative to generate x-rays via betatron emission, Compton scattering, or bremsstrahlung. A plasma can sustain electrical fields many orders of magnitude higher than that in conventional radiofrequency accelerator structures. When short, intense laser pulses are focused into a gas, it produces electron plasma waves in which electrons can be trapped and accelerated to GeV energies. X-ray sources, driven by electrons from laser-wakefield acceleration, have unique properties that are analogous to synchrotron radiation, with a 1000-fold shorter pulse. An important use of x-rays from laser plasma accelerators is in High Energy Density (HED) science, which requires laser and XFEL facilities to create in the laboratory extreme conditions of temperatures and pressures that are usually found in the interiors of stars and planets. To diagnose such extreme states of matter, the development of efficient, versatile and fast (sub-picosecond scale) x-ray probes has become essential. In these experiments, x-ray photons can pass through dense material, and absorption of the x-rays can be directly measured, via spectroscopy or imaging, to inform scientists about the temperature and density of the targets being studied. Performed
X-ray pulsars in nearby irregular galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun

2018-01-01

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Irregular Galaxy IC 10 are valuable laboratories to study the physical, temporal and statistical properties of the X-ray pulsar population with multi-satellite observations, in order to probe fundamental physics. The known distance of these galaxies can help us easily categorize the luminosity of the pulsars and their age difference can be helpful for for studying the origin and evolution of compact objects. Therefore, a complete archive of 116 XMM-Newton PN, 151 Chandra (Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer) ACIS, and 952 RXTE PCA observations for the pulsars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) were collected and analyzed, along with 42 XMM-Newton and 30 Chandra observations for the Large Magellanic Cloud, spanning 1997-2014. From a sample of 67 SMC pulsars we generate a suite of products for each pulsar detection: spin period, flux, event list, high time-resolution light-curve, pulse-profile, periodogram, and X-ray spectrum. Combining all three satellites, I generated complete histories of the spin periods, pulse amplitudes, pulsed fractions and X-ray luminosities. Many of the pulsars show variations in pulse period due to the combination of orbital motion and accretion torques. Long-term spin-up/down trends are seen in 28/25 pulsars respectively, pointing to sustained transfer of mass and angular momentum to the neutron star on decadal timescales. The distributions of pulse detection and flux as functions of spin period provide interesting findings: mapping boundaries of accretion-driven X-ray luminosity, and showing that fast pulsars (P<10 s) are rarely detected, which yet are more prone to giant outbursts. In parallel we compare the observed pulse profiles to our general relativity (GR) model of X-ray emission in order to constrain the physical parameters of the pulsars.In addition, we conduct a search for optical counterparts to X-ray sources in the local dwarf galaxy IC 10 to form a comparison
Non-thermal X-ray emission from tidal disruption flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Nicholas

2016-09-01

A star that passes too close to a supermassive black hole will be disrupted by the black hole's tidal gravity. The result is a flare of thermal emission at optical and X-ray frequencies. The return rate of stellar debris decreases from highly super-Eddington to sub-Eddington in a few years, making stellar tidal disruptions flares (TDFs) a unique laboratory to study accretion physics. In one class of models, the optical emission is due to reprocessing of the X-ray photons, thus explaining the lack of X-ray detections from optically selected TDFs. After a few years, the outer reprocessing regions will dilute, allowing us to observe any non-thermal emission from the inner disk. Here we propose Chandra observations to measure the luminosity of newly formed accretion disks in two known TDFs.
Laboratory multiple-crystal X-ray topography and reciprocal-space mapping of protein crystals: influence of impurities on crystal perfection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Z. W.; Thomas, B. R.; Chernov, A. A.

2001-01-01

Double-axis multiple-crystal X-ray topography, rocking-curve measurements and triple-axis reciprocal-space mapping have been combined to characterize protein crystals using a laboratory source. Crystals of lysozyme and lysozyme crystals doped with acetylated lysozyme impurities were examined. It was shown that the incorporation of acetylated lysozyme into crystals of lysozyme induces mosaic domains that are responsible for the broadening and/or splitting of rocking curves and diffraction-space maps along the direction normal to the reciprocal-lattice vector, while the overall elastic lattice strain of the impurity-doped crystals does not appear to be appreciable in high angular resolution reciprocal-space maps. Multiple-crystal monochromatic X-ray topography, which is highly sensitive to lattice distortions, was used to reveal the spatial distribution of mosaic domains in crystals which correlates with the diffraction features in reciprocal space. Discussions of the influence of acetylated lysozyme on crystal perfection are given in terms of our observations.
Laboratory multiple-crystal X-ray topography and reciprocal-space mapping of protein crystals: influence of impurities on crystal perfection.

PubMed

Hu, Z W; Thomas, B R; Chernov, A A

2001-06-01

Double-axis multiple-crystal X-ray topography, rocking-curve measurements and triple-axis reciprocal-space mapping have been combined to characterize protein crystals using a laboratory source. Crystals of lysozyme and lysozyme crystals doped with acetylated lysozyme impurities were examined. It was shown that the incorporation of acetylated lysozyme into crystals of lysozyme induces mosaic domains that are responsible for the broadening and/or splitting of rocking curves and diffraction-space maps along the direction normal to the reciprocal-lattice vector, while the overall elastic lattice strain of the impurity-doped crystals does not appear to be appreciable in high angular resolution reciprocal-space maps. Multiple-crystal monochromatic X-ray topography, which is highly sensitive to lattice distortions, was used to reveal the spatial distribution of mosaic domains in crystals which correlates with the diffraction features in reciprocal space. Discussions of the influence of acetylated lysozyme on crystal perfection are given in terms of our observations.
Industrial X-Ray Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

In 1990, Lewis Research Center jointly sponsored a conference with the U.S. Air Force Wright Laboratory focused on high speed imaging. This conference, and early funding by Lewis Research Center, helped to spur work by Silicon Mountain Design, Inc. to break the performance barriers of imaging speed, resolution, and sensitivity through innovative technology. Later, under a Small Business Innovation Research contract with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the company designed a real-time image enhancing camera that yields superb, high quality images in 1/30th of a second while limiting distortion. The result is a rapidly available, enhanced image showing significantly greater detail compared to image processing executed on digital computers. Current applications include radiographic and pathology-based medicine, industrial imaging, x-ray inspection devices, and automated semiconductor inspection equipment.
Cosmic x ray physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccammon, Dan; Cox, D. P.; Kraushaar, W. L.; Sanders, W. T.

1991-01-01

The annual progress report on Cosmic X Ray Physics for the period 1 Jan. to 31 Dec. 1990 is presented. Topics studied include: soft x ray background, new sounding rocket payload: x ray calorimeter, and theoretical studies.
Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy to Characterize the Solid/Liquid Interface: Probing the Electrochemical Double Layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Favaro, Marco; Liu, Zhi; Crumlin, Ethan J.

Ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) has contributed greatly to a wide range of research fields, including environmental science, catalysis, and electrochemistry, to name a few. The use of this technique at synchrotron facilities primarily focused on probing the solid/gas interface; however, it quickly advanced to the probing of liquid/vapor interfaces and solid/liquid interfaces through an X-ray-transparent window. Most recently, combining APXPS with “Tender” X-rays (~2.5 keV to 8 keV) on beamline 9.3.1 at the Advanced Light Source in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (which can generate photoelectrons with much longer inelastic mean free paths) has enabled us to probe the solid/liquidmore » interface without needing a window. This innovation allows us to probe interfacial chemistries of electrochemically controlled solid/liquid interfaces undergoing charge transfer reactions. Lastly, these advancements have transitioned APXPS from a traditional surface science tool to an essential interface science technique.« less
Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy to Characterize the Solid/Liquid Interface: Probing the Electrochemical Double Layer

DOE PAGES

Favaro, Marco; Liu, Zhi; Crumlin, Ethan J.

2017-03-31

Ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) has contributed greatly to a wide range of research fields, including environmental science, catalysis, and electrochemistry, to name a few. The use of this technique at synchrotron facilities primarily focused on probing the solid/gas interface; however, it quickly advanced to the probing of liquid/vapor interfaces and solid/liquid interfaces through an X-ray-transparent window. Most recently, combining APXPS with “Tender” X-rays (~2.5 keV to 8 keV) on beamline 9.3.1 at the Advanced Light Source in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (which can generate photoelectrons with much longer inelastic mean free paths) has enabled us to probe the solid/liquidmore » interface without needing a window. This innovation allows us to probe interfacial chemistries of electrochemically controlled solid/liquid interfaces undergoing charge transfer reactions. Lastly, these advancements have transitioned APXPS from a traditional surface science tool to an essential interface science technique.« less
X-ray lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elton, Raymond C.

Theoretical and practical aspects of X-ray lasers are discussed in an introduction emphasizing recent advances. Chapters are devoted to the unique optical properties of the X-ray spectral region, the principles of short-wavelength lasers, pumping by exciting plasma ions, pumping by electron capture into excited ionic states, pumping by ionization of atoms and ions, and alternative approaches. The potential scientific, technical, biological, and medical applications of X-ray lasers are briefly characterized.
The superslow pulsation X-ray pulsars in high mass X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei

2013-03-01

There exists a special class of X-ray pulsars that exhibit very slow pulsation of P spin > 1000 s in the high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). We have studied the temporal and spectral properties of these superslow pulsation neutron star binaries in hard X-ray bands with INTEGRAL observations. Long-term monitoring observations find spin period evolution of two sources: spin-down trend for 4U 2206+54 (P spin ~ 5560 s with Ṗ spin ~ 4.9 × 10-7 s s-1) and long-term spin-up trend for 2S 0114+65 (P spin ~ 9600 s with Ṗ spin ~ -1 × 10-6 s s-1) in the last 20 years. A Be X-ray transient, SXP 1062 (P spin ~ 1062 s), also showed a fast spin-down rate of Ṗ spin ~ 3 × 10-6 s s-1 during an outburst. These superslow pulsation neutron stars cannot be produced in the standard X-ray binary evolution model unless the neutron star has a much stronger surface magnetic field (B > 1014 G). The physical origin of the superslow spin period is still unclear. The possible origin and evolution channels of the superslow pulsation X-ray pulsars are discussed. Superslow pulsation X-ray pulsars could be younger X-ray binary systems, still in the fast evolution phase preceding the final equilibrium state. Alternatively, they could be a new class of neutron star system - accreting magnetars.
X-ray standing wave analysis of nanostructures using partially coherent radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tiwari, M. K., E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in; Das, Gangadhar; Bedzyk, M. J.

2015-09-07

The effect of longitudinal (or temporal) coherence on total reflection assisted x-ray standing wave (TR-XSW) analysis of nanoscale materials is quantitatively demonstrated by showing how the XSW fringe visibility can be strongly damped by decreasing the spectral resolution of the incident x-ray beam. The correction for nonzero wavelength dispersion (δλ ≠ 0) of the incident x-ray wave field is accounted for in the model computations of TR-XSW assisted angle dependent fluorescence yields of the nanostructure coatings on x-ray mirror surfaces. Given examples include 90 nm diameter Au nanospheres deposited on a Si(100) surface and a 3 nm thick Zn layer trapped on top amore » 100 nm Langmuir-Blodgett film coating on a Au mirror surface. Present method opens up important applications, such as enabling XSW studies of large dimensioned nanostructures using conventional laboratory based partially coherent x-ray sources.« less
First X-Ray Diffraction Results from Mars Science Laboratory: Mineralogy of Rocknest Aeolian Bedform at Gale Crater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bish, D. L.; Blake, D. F.; Vaniman, D. T.; Chipera, S. J.; Sarrazin, P.; Morris, R. V.; Ming, D. W.; Treiman, A. H.; Downs, R. T.; Morrison, S. M.;

2013-01-01

Numerous orbital and landed observations of the martian surface suggest a reasonably uniform martian soil composition, likely as a result of global aeolian mixing [1, 2]. Chemical data for martian soils are abundant [e.g., 2, 3], and phase information has been provided by lander thermal emission and Moessbauer spectroscopic measurements [3, 4, 5, 6]. However, until now no X-ray diffraction (XRD) data were available for martian soil nor has XRD ever been used on another body apart from Earth. XRD is generally considered the most definitive method for determining the crystalline phases in solid samples, and it is the method of choice for determining mineralogy. CheMin s first XRD analysis on Mars coincided with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of X-ray diffraction by von Laue. Curiosity delivered scooped samples of loose, unconsolidated material ("soil") acquired from an aeolian bedform at the Rocknest locality to instruments in the body of the rover (the laboratory). Imaging shows that the soil has a range of particle sizes, of 1-2 mm and smaller, presumably representing contributions from global, regional, and local sources.

Miniature x-ray source

DOEpatents

Trebes, James E.; Stone, Gary F.; Bell, Perry M.; Robinson, Ronald B.; Chornenky, Victor I.

2002-01-01

A miniature x-ray source capable of producing broad spectrum x-ray emission over a wide range of x-ray energies. The miniature x-ray source comprises a compact vacuum tube assembly containing a cathode, an anode, a high voltage feedthru for delivering high voltage to the anode, a getter for maintaining high vacuum, a connection for an initial vacuum pump down and crimp-off, and a high voltage connection for attaching a compact high voltage cable to the high voltage feedthru. At least a portion of the vacuum tube wall is highly x-ray transparent and made, for example, from boron nitride. The compact size and potential for remote operation allows the x-ray source, for example, to be placed adjacent to a material sample undergoing analysis or in proximity to the region to be treated for medical applications.
Current developments and tests of small x-ray optical systems for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pina, L.; Hudec, R.; Inneman, A.; Doubravová, D.; Marsikova, V.

2017-05-01

The paper addresses the X-ray monitoring for astrophysical applications. A novel approach based on the use of 1D and 2D "Lobster eye" optics in combination with Timepix X-ray detector in the energy range 3 - 40 keV was further studied. Wide-field optical system of this type has not been used in space yet. Designed wide-field optical system combined with Timepix X-ray detector is described together with latest experimental results obtained during laboratory tests. Proposed project includes theoretical study and a functional sample of the Timepix X-ray detector with multifoil wide-field X-ray "Lobster eye" optics. Using optics to focus X-rays on a detector is the only solution in cases where intensity of impinging X-ray radiation is below the sensitivity of the detector, e.g. while monitoring astrophysical objects in space, or phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. The optical system is considered to be used in a student rocket experiment.
T-REX: Thomson-Radiated Extreme X-rays Moving X-Ray Science into the ''Nuclear'' Applications Space with Thompson Scattered Photons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, C P; Hartemann, F V

2004-09-21

The scattering of laser photons from relativistic electrons (Thomson scattering) has been demonstrated to be a viable method for the production of ultrashort-duration pulses of tunable radiation in the 10-keV to 100-keV range. Photons in this range are capable of exciting or ionizing even the most tightly bound of atomic electrons. A wide variety of atomistic scale applications are possible. For example, Thomson x-ray sources have been constructed at LLNL (PLEIADES) and LBL as picosecond, stroboscopic probes of atomic-scale dynamics and at Vanderbilt University as element-specific tools for medical radiography and radiology. While these sources have demonstrated an attractive abilitymore » to simultaneously probe on an atomic spatial and temporal scale, they do not necessarily exploit the full potential of the Thomson scattering process to produce high-brightness, high-energy photons. In this white paper, we suggest that the peak brightness of Thomson sources can scale as fast as the 4th power of electron beam energy and that production via Thomson scattering of quasi-monochromatic, tunable radiation in the ''nuclear-range'' between 100-keV and several MeV is potentially a much more attractive application space for this process. Traditional sources in this regime are inherently ultra-broadband and decline rapidly in brightness as a function of photon energy. The output from dedicated, national-laboratory-scale, synchrotron facilities, e.g. APS, SPring8, ESRF etc., declines by more than 10 orders from 100 keV to 1 MeV. At 1 MeV, we conservatively estimate that Thomson-source, peak brightness can exceed that of APS (the best machine in the DOE complex) by more than 15 orders of magnitude. In much the same way that tunable lasers revolutionized atomic spectroscopy, this ''Peta-step'' advance in tunable, narrow-bandwidth, capability should enable entirely new fields of study and new, programmatically-interesting, applications such as: micrometer
Current Status of Single Particle Imaging with X-ray Lasers

DOE PAGES

Sun, Zhibin; Fan, Jiadong; Li, Haoyuan; ...

2018-01-22

The advent of ultrafast X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) opens the tantalizing possibility of the atomic-resolution imaging of reproducible objects such as viruses, nanoparticles, single molecules, clusters, and perhaps biological cells, achieving a resolution for single particle imaging better than a few tens of nanometers. Improving upon this is a significant challenge which has been the focus of a global single particle imaging (SPI) initiative launched in December 2014 at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, USA. A roadmap was outlined, and significant multi-disciplinary effort has since been devoted to work on the technical challenges of SPImore » such as radiation damage, beam characterization, beamline instrumentation and optics, sample preparation and delivery and algorithm development at multiple institutions involved in the SPI initiative. Currently, the SPI initiative has achieved 3D imaging of rice dwarf virus (RDV) and coliphage PR772 viruses at ~10 nm resolution by using soft X-ray FEL pulses at the Atomic Molecular and Optical (AMO) instrument of LCLS. Meanwhile, diffraction patterns with signal above noise up to the corner of the detector with a resolution of ~6 Ångström (Å) were also recorded with hard X-rays at the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument, also at LCLS. Achieving atomic resolution is truly a grand challenge and there is still a long way to go in light of recent developments in electron microscopy. However, the potential for studying dynamics at physiological conditions and capturing ultrafast biological, chemical and physical processes represents a tremendous potential application, attracting continued interest in pursuing further method development. In this paper, we give a brief introduction of SPI developments and look ahead to further method development.« less

Current Status of Single Particle Imaging with X-ray Lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Zhibin; Fan, Jiadong; Li, Haoyuan

The advent of ultrafast X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) opens the tantalizing possibility of the atomic-resolution imaging of reproducible objects such as viruses, nanoparticles, single molecules, clusters, and perhaps biological cells, achieving a resolution for single particle imaging better than a few tens of nanometers. Improving upon this is a significant challenge which has been the focus of a global single particle imaging (SPI) initiative launched in December 2014 at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, USA. A roadmap was outlined, and significant multi-disciplinary effort has since been devoted to work on the technical challenges of SPImore » such as radiation damage, beam characterization, beamline instrumentation and optics, sample preparation and delivery and algorithm development at multiple institutions involved in the SPI initiative. Currently, the SPI initiative has achieved 3D imaging of rice dwarf virus (RDV) and coliphage PR772 viruses at ~10 nm resolution by using soft X-ray FEL pulses at the Atomic Molecular and Optical (AMO) instrument of LCLS. Meanwhile, diffraction patterns with signal above noise up to the corner of the detector with a resolution of ~6 Ångström (Å) were also recorded with hard X-rays at the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument, also at LCLS. Achieving atomic resolution is truly a grand challenge and there is still a long way to go in light of recent developments in electron microscopy. However, the potential for studying dynamics at physiological conditions and capturing ultrafast biological, chemical and physical processes represents a tremendous potential application, attracting continued interest in pursuing further method development. In this paper, we give a brief introduction of SPI developments and look ahead to further method development.« less
Wide-area phase-contrast X-ray imaging using large X-ray interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Yoneyama, Akio; Koyama, Ichiro; Itai, Yuji

2001-07-01

Large X-ray interferometers are developed for phase-contrast X-ray imaging aiming at medical applications. A monolithic X-ray interferometer and a separate one are studied, and currently a 25 mm×20 mm view area can be generated. This paper describes the strategy of our research program and some recent developments.
High-speed, two-dimensional synchrotron white-beam x-ray radiography of spray breakup and atomization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halls, Benjamin R.; Radke, Christopher D.; Reuter, Benjamin J.

High-speed, two-dimensional synchrotron x-ray radiography and phase-contrast imaging are demonstrated in propulsion sprays. Measurements are performed at the 7-BM beamline at the Advanced Photon Source user facility at Argonne National Laboratory using a recently developed broadband x-ray white beam. This novel enhancement allows for high speed, high fidelity x-ray imaging for the community at large. Quantitative path-integrated liquid distributions and spatio-temporal dynamics of the sprays were imaged with a LuAG:Ce scintillator optically coupled to a high-speed CMOS camera. Images are collected with a microscope objective at frame rates of 20 kHz and with a macro lens at 120 kHz, achievingmore » spatial resolutions of 12 μm and 65 μm, respectively. Imaging with and without potassium iodide (KI) as a contrast-enhancing agent is compared, and the effects of broadband attenuation and spatial beam characteristics are determined through modeling and experimental calibration. In addition, phase contrast is used to differentiate liquid streams with varying concentrations of KI. The experimental approach is applied to different spray conditions, including quantitative measurements of mass distribution during primary atomization and qualitative visualization of turbulent binary fluid mixing. High-speed, two-dimensional synchrotron white-beam x-ray radiography of spray breakup and atomization. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312567827_High-speed_two-dimensional_synchrotron_white-beam_x-ray_radiography_of_spray_breakup_and_atomization [accessed Aug 31, 2017].« less
Performance characteristics of mobile MOSFET dosimeter for kilovoltage X-rays used in image guided radiotherapy.

PubMed

Kumar, A Sathish; Singh, I Rabi Raja; Sharma, S D; Ravindran, B Paul

2015-01-01

The main objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeter for kilovoltage (kV) X-ray beams in order to perform the in vivo dosimetry during image guidance in radiotherapy. The performance characteristics of high sensitivity MOSFET dosimeters were investigated for 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, and 125 kV X-ray beams used for imaging in radiotherapy. This study was performed using Clinac 2100 C/D medical electron linear accelerator with on-board imaging and kV cone beam computed tomography system. The characteristics studied in this work include energy dependence, angular dependence, and linearity. The X-ray beam outputs were measured as per American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) TG 61 recommendations using PTW parallel plate (PP) ionization chamber, which was calibrated in terms of air kerma (Nk) by the National Standard Laboratory. The MOSFET dosimeters were calibrated against the PP ionization chamber for all the kV X-ray beams and the calibration coefficient was found to be 0.11 cGy/mV with a standard deviation of about ±1%. The response of MOSFET was found to be energy independent for the kV X-ray energies used in this study. The response of the MOSFET dosimeter was also found independent of angle of incidence for the gantry angles in the range of 0° to 360° in-air as well as at 3 cm depth in tissue equivalent phantom.
Improving a high-efficiency, gated spectrometer for x-ray Thomson scattering experiments at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Döppner, T; Kraus, D; Neumayer, P; Bachmann, B; Emig, J; Falcone, R W; Fletcher, L B; Hardy, M; Kalantar, D H; Kritcher, A L; Landen, O L; Ma, T; Saunders, A M; Wood, R D

2016-11-01

We are developing x-ray Thomson scattering for applications in implosion experiments at the National Ignition Facility. In particular we have designed and fielded MACS, a high-efficiency, gated x-ray spectrometer at 7.5-10 keV [T. Döppner et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 11D617 (2014)]. Here we report on two new Bragg crystals based on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG), a flat crystal and a dual-section cylindrically curved crystal. We have performed in situ calibration measurements using a brass foil target, and we used the flat HOPG crystal to measure Mo K-shell emission at 18 keV in 2nd order diffraction. Such high photon energy line emission will be required to penetrate and probe ultra-high-density plasmas or plasmas of mid-Z elements.
The IHS diagnostic X-ray equipment radiation protection program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knapp, A.; Byrns, G.; Suleiman, O.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) operates or contracts with Tribal groups to operate 50 hospitals and approximately 165 primary ambulatory care centers. These facilities contain approximately 275 medical and 800 dental diagnostic x-ray machines. IHS environmental health personnel in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) developed a diagnostic x-ray protection program including standard survey procedures and menu-driven calculations software. Important features of the program include the evaluation of equipment performance collection of average patient entrance skin exposure (ESE) measurements for selected procedures, and quality assurance. The ESE data, collected using themore » National Evaluation of X-ray Trends (NEXT) protocol, will be presented. The IHS Diagnostic X-ray Radiation Protection Program is dynamic and is adapting to changes in technology and workload.« less
Comparison Between the NIST and the KEBS for the Determination of Air Kerma Calibration Coefficients for Narrow X-Ray Spectra and 137Cs Gamma-Ray Beams

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Michelle; Minniti, Ronaldo; Masinza, Stanslaus Alwyn

2010-01-01

Air kerma calibration coefficients for a reference class ionization chamber from narrow x-ray spectra and cesium 137 gamma-ray beams were compared between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). A NIST reference-class transfer ionization chamber was calibrated by each laboratory in terms of the quantity air kerma in four x-ray reference radiation beams of energies between 80 kV and 150 kV and in a cesium 137 gamma-ray beam. The reference radiation qualities used for this comparison are described in detail in the ISO 4037 publication.[1] The comparison began in September 2008 and was completed in March 2009. The results reveal the degree to which the participating calibration facility can demonstrate proficiency in transferring air kerma calibrations under the conditions of the said facility at the time of the measurements. The comparison of the calibration coefficients is based on the average ratios of calibration coefficients. PMID:27134777
Comparison Between the NIST and the KEBS for the Determination of Air Kerma Calibration Coefficients for Narrow X-Ray Spectra and (137)Cs Gamma-Ray Beams.

PubMed

O'Brien, Michelle; Minniti, Ronaldo; Masinza, Stanslaus Alwyn

2010-01-01

Air kerma calibration coefficients for a reference class ionization chamber from narrow x-ray spectra and cesium 137 gamma-ray beams were compared between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). A NIST reference-class transfer ionization chamber was calibrated by each laboratory in terms of the quantity air kerma in four x-ray reference radiation beams of energies between 80 kV and 150 kV and in a cesium 137 gamma-ray beam. The reference radiation qualities used for this comparison are described in detail in the ISO 4037 publication.[1] The comparison began in September 2008 and was completed in March 2009. The results reveal the degree to which the participating calibration facility can demonstrate proficiency in transferring air kerma calibrations under the conditions of the said facility at the time of the measurements. The comparison of the calibration coefficients is based on the average ratios of calibration coefficients.
Transitioning glass-ceramic scintillators for diagnostic x-ray imaging from the laboratory to commercial scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckert, M. Brooke; Gallego, Sabrina; Elder, Eric; Nadler, Jason

2016-10-01

This study sought to mitigate risk in transitioning newly developed glass-ceramic scintillator technology from a laboratory concept to commercial product by identifying the most significant hurdles to increased scale. These included selection of cost effective raw material sources, investigation of process parameters with the most significant impact on performance, and synthesis steps that could see the greatest benefit from participation of an industry partner that specializes in glass or optical component manufacturing. Efforts focused on enhancing the performance of glass-ceramic nanocomposite scintillators developed specifically for medical imaging via composition and process modifications that ensured efficient capture of incident X-ray energy and emission of scintillation light. The use of cost effective raw materials and existing manufacturing methods demonstrated proof-of-concept for economical viable alternatives to existing benchmark materials, as well as possible disruptive applications afforded by novel geometries and comparatively lower cost per volume. The authors now seek the expertise of industry to effectively navigate the transition from laboratory demonstrations to pilot scale production and testing to evince the industry of the viability and usefulness of composite-based scintillators.
A platform for detecting material melting from shock compression using the NIF x-ray diffraction diagnostic TARDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehrenberg, Christopher; Kraus, Richard; Braun, Dave; Rygg, Ryan; Coppari, Federica; Lazicki, Amy; McNaney, James; Eggert, Jon

2016-10-01

A series of experiments were performed on NIF to develop a platform to detect material melting during shock compression using x-ray diffraction. The unique pulse shaping on NIF can be utilized to directly-drive a steady shock into an ablator and material sample while simultaneously creating an x-ray source to probe the material state. Sharp diffraction lines are observed when the material is in the solid state, while broad diffuse lines are seen when in the liquid state, providing an unambiguous signal for shock driven melting. Several shots were performed in which a shock of 50-80 GPa was driven into a Pb sample while a Ge foil was used as an x-ray source probe. Laser conditions were varied to create a suitable x-ray source that provides a short, bright burst of He-alpha emission from the Ge while maintaining a low background level on the image plates contained in the TARDIS diagnostic. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.
High-efficiency in situ resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (iRIXS) endstation at the Advanced Light Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Ruimin; Li, Qinghao; Zhuo, Zengqing; Sallis, Shawn; Fuchs, Oliver; Blum, Monika; Weinhardt, Lothar; Heske, Clemens; Pepper, John; Jones, Michael; Brown, Adam; Spucces, Adrian; Chow, Ken; Smith, Brian; Glans, Per-Anders; Chen, Yanxue; Yan, Shishen; Pan, Feng; Piper, Louis F. J.; Denlinger, Jonathan; Guo, Jinghua; Hussain, Zahid; Chuang, Yi-De; Yang, Wanli

2017-03-01

An endstation with two high-efficiency soft x-ray spectrographs was developed at Beamline 8.0.1 of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The endstation is capable of performing soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy, and, in particular, resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering (RIXS). Two slit-less variable line-spacing grating spectrographs are installed at different detection geometries. The endstation covers the photon energy range from 80 to 1500 eV. For studying transition-metal oxides, the large detection energy window allows a simultaneous collection of x-ray emission spectra with energies ranging from the O K-edge to the Ni L-edge without moving any mechanical components. The record-high efficiency enables the recording of comprehensive two-dimensional RIXS maps with good statistics within a short acquisition time. By virtue of the large energy window and high throughput of the spectrographs, partial fluorescence yield and inverse partial fluorescence yield signals could be obtained for all transition metal L-edges including Mn. Moreover, the different geometries of these two spectrographs (parallel and perpendicular to the horizontal polarization of the beamline) provide contrasts in RIXS features with two different momentum transfers.
X-Pinch And Its Applications In X-ray Radiograph

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zou Xiaobing; Wang Xinxin; Liu Rui

2009-07-07

An X-pinch device and the related diagnostics of x-ray emission from X-pinch were briefly described. The time-resolved x-ray measurements with photoconducting diodes show that the x-ray pulse usually consists of two subnanosecond peaks with a time interval of about 0.5 ns. Being consistent with these two peaks of the x-ray pulse, two point x-ray sources of size ranging from 100 mum to 5 mum and depending on cut-off x-ray photon energy were usually observed on the pinhole pictures. The x-pinch was used as x-ray source for backlighting of the electrical explosion of single wire and the evolution of X-pinch, andmore » for phase-contrast imaging of soft biological objects such as a small shrimp and a mosquito.« less
Evolution of X-ray astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossj, B.

1981-01-01

The evolution of X-ray astronomy up to the launching of the Einstein observatory is presented. The evaluation proceeded through the following major steps: (1) discovery of an extrasolar X-ray source, Sco X-1, orders of magnitude stronger than astronomers believed might exist; (2) identification of a strong X-ray source with the Crab Nebula; (3) identification of Sco X-1 with a faint, peculiar optical object; (4) demonstration that X-ray stars are binary systems, each consisting of a collapsed object accreting matter from an ordinary star; (5) discovery of X-ray bursts; (6) discovery of exceedingly strong X-ray emission from active galaxies, quasars and clusters of galaxies; (7) demonstration that the principal X-ray source is a hot gas filling the space between galaxies.
BEaTriX, expanded x-ray beam facility for testing modular elements of telescope optics: an update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelliciari, C.; Spiga, D.; Bonnini, E.; Buffagni, E.; Ferrari, C.; Pareschi, G.; Tagliaferri, G.

2015-09-01

We present in this paper an update on the design of BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility), an X-ray apparatus to be realized at INAF/OAB and that will generate an expanded, uniform and parallel beam of soft X-rays. BEaTriX will be used to perform the functional tests of X-ray focusing modules of large X-ray optics such as those for the ATHENA X-ray observatory, using the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) as a baseline technology, and Slumped Glass Optics (SGO) as a possible alternative. Performing the tests in X-rays provides the advantage of an in-situ, at-wavelength quality control of the optical modules produced in series by the industry, performing a selection of the modules with the best angular resolution, and, in the case of SPOs, there is also the interesting possibility to align the parabolic and the hyperbolic stacks directly under X-rays, to minimize the aberrations. However, a parallel beam with divergence below 2 arcsec is necessary in order to measure mirror elements that are expected to reach an angular resolution of about 4 arcsec, since the ATHENA requirement for the entire telescope is 5 arcsec. Such a low divergence over the typical aperture of modular optics would require an X-ray source to be located in a several kilometers long vacuum tube. In contrast, BEaTriX will be compact enough (5 m x 14 m) to be housed in a small laboratory, will produce an expanded X-ray beam 60 mm x 200 mm broad, characterized by a very low divergence (1.5 arcsec HEW), strong polarization, high uniformity, and X-ray energy selectable between 1.5 keV and 4.5 keV. In this work we describe the BEaTriX layout and show a performance simulation for the X-ray energy of 4.5 keV.
Second International Workshop on Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Bluhm, Hendrik; Crumlin, Ethan J.

2016-05-03

The Second International Workshop on Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (APXPS) was held at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, CA, from December 7-9, 2015. It brought together more than 100 participants from 17 countries. The workshop followed the inaugural meeting at the French synchrotron SOLEIL in December 2014, which was organized by François Rochet. The strong interest in these workshops reflects the growth of the APXPS community over the last decade, with instruments now operational at more than 12 synchrotrons around the world (see SRN, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 14–23 (2014)), and a steady increase in themore » number of laboratory instruments. Finally, APXPS has established itself as an important method for the investigation of surfaces and interfaces under in situ and operando conditions, including liquid/vapor and liquid/solid interfaces.« less
Development of X-ray CCD camera based X-ray micro-CT system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Partha S.; Ray, N. K.; Pal, Manoj K.; Baribaddala, Ravi; Agrawal, Ashish; Kashyap, Y.; Sinha, A.; Gadkari, S. C.

2017-02-01

Availability of microfocus X-ray sources and high resolution X-ray area detectors has made it possible for high resolution microtomography studies to be performed outside the purview of synchrotron. In this paper, we present the work towards the use of an external shutter on a high resolution microtomography system using X-ray CCD camera as a detector. During micro computed tomography experiments, the X-ray source is continuously ON and owing to the readout mechanism of the CCD detector electronics, the detector registers photons reaching it during the read-out period too. This introduces a shadow like pattern in the image known as smear whose direction is defined by the vertical shift register. To resolve this issue, the developed system has been incorporated with a synchronized shutter just in front of the X-ray source. This is positioned in the X-ray beam path during the image readout period and out of the beam path during the image acquisition period. This technique has resulted in improved data quality and hence the same is reflected in the reconstructed images.
Chandra X-ray Observatory - NASA's flagship X-ray telescope

Science.gov Websites

astronomy, taking its place in the fleet of "Great Observatories." Who we are NASA's Chandra X-ray astronomy, distances are measured in units of light years, where one light year is the distance that light gravity? The answer is still out there. By studying clusters of galaxies, X-ray astronomy is tackling this
HX-POL - A Balloon-Bourne Hard X-Ray Polarimeter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krawczynski, H.; De Geronimo, G.; Garson, A., III, Martin, J.

2009-12-09

We report on the design and estimated performance of a balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimeter called HX-POL. The experiment uses a combination of Si and Cadmium Zinc Telluride detectors to measure the polarization of 50 keV-400 keV X-rays from cosmic sources through the dependence of the angular distribution of Compton scattered photons on the polarization direction. On a one-day balloon flight, HX-POL would allow us to measure the polarization of bright Crab-like sources for polarization degrees well below 10%. On a longer (15-30 day) flight from Australia or Antarctica, HX-POL would be be able to measure the polarization of bright galacticmore » X-ray sources down to polarization degrees of a few percent. Hard X-ray polarization measurements provide unique venues for the study of particle acceleration processes by compact objects and relativistic outflows. In this paper, we discuss the overall instrument design and performance. Furthermore, we present results from laboratory tests of the Si and CZT detectors.« less
Diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses using MEMS-based X-ray optics

DOEpatents

Lopez, Daniel; Shenoy, Gopal; Wang, Jin; Walko, Donald A.; Jung, Il-Woong; Mukhopadhyay, Deepkishore

2016-08-09

A method and apparatus are provided for implementing Bragg-diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses using MicroElectroMechanical systems (MEMS) based diffractive optics. An oscillating crystalline MEMS device generates a controllable time-window for diffraction of the incident X-ray radiation. The Bragg-diffraction leveraged modulation of X-ray pulses includes isolating a particular pulse, spatially separating individual pulses, and spreading a single pulse from an X-ray pulse-train.
Growing Cutting-edge X-ray Optics

ScienceCinema

Conley, Ray

2018-03-02

Ever imagined that an Xbox controller could help open a window into a world spanning just one billionth of a meter? Brookhaven Lab's Ray Conley grows cutting-edge optics called multilayer Laue lenses (MLL) one atomic layer at a time to focus high-energy x-rays to within a single nanometer. To achieve this focusing feat, Ray uses a massive, custom-built atomic deposition device, an array of computers, and a trusty Xbox controller. These lenses will be deployed at the Lab's National Synchrotron Light Source II, due to begin shining super-bright light on pressing scientific puzzles in 2015.

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